Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
by JaeciBae
Summary: The Drakes and Sully have been searching for a woman named Katherine Marlowe. A mysterious figure who stole an important artifact from them twenty years ago. While searching for Iram of the Pillars, Nate and Lily take extreme risks to get there. Never asking themselves if the adventure was worth it. (Part 3 of 4 of the Uncharted saga)
1. Sic Parvis Magna

"_The light of past discovery draws me forward. Its shining light guides me to the glory of exploration_."

― **Francis Drake**

It's a bitter, rainy night in London. A brisk chill ran down my spine as I roamed the streets with Nate an Sully. Despite the cold, the city was filled with locals and tourists visiting shops and enjoying London's attractions. A pang of jealousy enveloped me, wishing my partners and I were visiting on a different occasion.

We hurried to a local pub where an important client was waiting for us. After spotting the pub's entrance a few blocks down, my nerves tightened and my hands become clammy. I was to play a key role tonight and even though we rehearsed all possible outcomes, my insecurities rattled my nerves. I fixed my shirt cuffs nervously.

"Dad?" I called to my partner before he touched the door knob.

"Yes, Lil?"

"What if they catch my bluff? I'm a terrible liar; you know this better than anyone."

"You practiced your lines a hundred times, they won't suspect a thing," he replied confidently.

"I suppose we're lucky they haven't met me yet," I rebutled.

"Exactly. You're going to be fine Lil, I promise," he assured.

"Just remember what we taught you," said Sully sternly.

"We believe in you. You got this," Nate smiled.

My partners' encouraging words were enough to motivate me. I took a deep breath as Nate twisted the knob. The stench of alcohol and tobacco wafted from the pub entrance. Angry eyes panned to us as the door announced our arrival, like our presence interrupted their peaceful night. A warm glow illuminated the room, creating a perfect ambience for the meeting.

The boys and I strode to the left of the pub where a door lead to a private room. I could feel hateful, piercing eyes as I lowered my head.

Our room was hazy and poorly-kept. The walls were covered in picture frames, sports memorabilia and trophies, and vertically-striped green wallpaper, all of which were coated in a thick grime from years of exposure to cigarettes. In the middle of the room was a well-worn billiards table, the balls scattered about its corners. In the middle sat a shimmering silver cash box with combination locks on either side of its rugged handle. Standing just behind the box was a slim man dressed in a finely-pressed black suit with a red tie wrapped around his collar. His head, covered with slicked-back, raven-colored hair, was quite wide. His visage, neatly arranged down the middle of his head, featured two squinty eyes, a pursed mouth, and a long pointed nose, all of which was cupped by a sharp jaw. The way he glared at the world reminded me all too much of a certain pretty boy…

Standing next to him was a bald, stocky man whose features filled his face far more than his counterpart. He was wearing a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and a green jumper shirt.

"So I'm guessing you're Talbot?" Sully asked the slim, grinning man.

"Mr. Sullivan, and… Mr. Drake," he responded in a smooth British accent.

"That's right," Nate affirmed.

"Do you have it?" Talbot questioned.

"... let's see the money first," Sully suggested.

"Cutter," Talbot said as he motioned for the bald man to open the case. Inside sat several stacks of £50 notes.

"It's all there," he assured. "Now let's see it, I'll need to authenticate it."

Nate took off the necklace holding his ring and handed it over. Talbot took out a jeweler's eyeglass and began examining the keepsake. Nate grabbed a stack of cash and started flipping through the bills.

"Silver… sixteenth century… Elizabethan design, inscribed with Sir Francis Drake's motto… well, it appears to be genuine."

"Well, of course it's genuine," Sully scoffed.

"If I may ask, how did you three come into this?" Talbot inquired.

"Does it matter?" Sully joked.

"My client will be very pleased," he said as he prepared to stash it into a protective satchel. I took every moment as an opportunity to learn and watched Nate rubbed his finger over the frail paper. With a sudden jolt, he brought the roll close to his face and my eyes narrowed.

"Hold on a minute… Sully, this is fake," Nate announced as he waved the money to Sully, who picked up Talbot's eyeglass and examined it.

"Woah, woah, you are _right._ This is phony as a three dollar bill! What the hell are you tryin' to pull here?"

"Perhaps I should be asking you," Talbot responded with a scowl.

"This is bullshit," Nate said bitterly as he slammed the case closed and shoved it toward Talbot. Both men rushed their hands to the ring with Nate's reaching there just before Talbot's landed on top.

"Deal's off, pal," growled Nate as he pulled his hand from the table.

"And you," barked Sully as he pointed at Talbot, "You can tell your 'client' you blew it. Come on guys, let's get the hell outta here." I followed Nate and Sully as they turned to leave.

Talbot took a few steps toward us before we got out the door. "You're not really in a position to negotiate. Now give me the ring, take the case, and walk out of here like gentlemen… while you still can. Try to set a good example for this nice young lady."

"I appreciate your concern, pretty boy, but I think my partners are correct. We know a thief when we see one," I scoffed.

"Well, that's ironic," he bantered.

Cutter walked in front of Talbot, his fists clenched. "Just do as the man says so we can all go home clean."

After a momentary silence, Nate grabbed a pool cue and smashed it against Cutter's shiny dome. I quickly followed after and did the same to Talbot.

We rushed into the bar, which was now filled with patrons who were all glaring daggers at us. The bartender stomped from behind the counter and lifted Sully by the collar and threw him into a group of tables. The rest of the bar goers started closing in on us, many of whom were wielding broken glass bottles. Before he could strike again, Nate punched the bartender in the gut, causing him to double over. Nate took the opened bar gate and slammed it down on the man's head, swiftly knocking him out.

A drunken man stumbled at us, his bottle ready to stab at the closest target. I preempted his strike and kicked him, sending him flying back into his associates and shattering several tables.

"Come on, we can escape through the back!" shouted Nate as he knocked out another booze-addled man.

We ran through the kitchen, taking care of anyone trying to stop us. As we ran out the back door, Cutter appeared and tackled Nate and Sully into a pile of trash, then brandished a pistol and pointed it at me.

"You blokes aren't goin' anywhere," he said in a smooth Cockney accent. A shiny black car with tinted windows rolled into the alleyway. A tall, slim woman donned in a shadowy black cloak glided out of the car. Her short blonde hair shown under the dim light that illuminated the alley. Talbot, who exited the car with her, handed her a large black umbrella.

The woman's piercing eyes observed Nate with disgust before panning to me. I froze as she glared at me. I recognized her as Kate Marlowe, a client who has a personal history with Nate and Sully. Although this was our first encounter, I was a bit confused by the resentment reflected in her gaze.

"Victor," said Marlowe as she approached him.

"Kate," Sully huffed.

"Still wallowing in the gutter with your protege, I see. Oh, and you found yourself another stray," she scoffed, once more glancing at me. Marlowe's attitude indicated she already knew something about me.

"I should've known you were behind this," Nate winced as he struggled to reposition himself. Marlowe's wrinkles increased as she smiled deviously while folding her umbrella.

"Careful, wouldn't want you to melt," Nate joked.

"Same cocky little shit," Marlowe chuckled humorlessly. "You're so fearless."

She reached for the handle of her umbrella to retrieve a hidden blade, where she pressed the tip under Nate's chin. My hands trembled as a drop of blood trickled down from the pressure of the blade.

"I wonder what you're _really_ afraid of?" she questioned as she positioned herself inches from his face.

"It's not guns or bullets, because you get off on all of this, don't you?"

Nate dared not to meet her gaze as she threatened him. I gripped the edge of my shirt as Nate flashed a glance at me and Marlowe menacingly followed.

"I see you found your own street rat?" she said condescendingly.

"Leave her alone," Nate demanded. Marlowe only smiled as she tucked the blade under Nate's shirt to acquire the necklace.

"Kate, whatever problem you have with me, leave them out of it," Sully pleaded.

"Mr. Sullivan, I won't harm your precious boy… or his shadow," she finished with a hateful tone. Marlowe cut the necklace with one swipe as she stood, clutching the ring in her hand.

"I merely want what's mine."

As Marlowe returned to the car, Nate began to throw himself at her.

"Give that back!" he ordered.

Following a loud pop, Nate pressed his hand against his stomach as he collapsed back onto the trash pile.

"Dad!" I shrieked as I ran to my partner. He reached for my hand, which shook under my cold grip as his eyes drifted close.

"Oh God, Nate!" Sully cried. Another pop echoed behind me, causing my ears to ring. I covered my mouth as Sully's shirt became saturated with a deep crimson.

"Sully!" I called as his body went limp.

"Cutter!" Marlowe spat.

"Oh, you're bloody welcome your majesty," Cutter retorted.

My body went numb as the rain drizzled around me. My stiff fingers clung to Nate's hand as I prepared for my turn to meet a bullet.

"No matter. If we're doing this, we're doing it right," Marlowe schemed as she strode toward me, drawing the knife from her umbrella.

"I want to see the last of this little posse's life drain from her eyes." As she pointed the knife at me, I backed up to the soggy brick wall behind me.

"Any last words?" she hissed, pressing the knife to my throat. As I felt its icy edge press into my skin, my mind raced for something that might save me. Forcing my way through my nerves, I began to speak.

"I can be more useful to you than you realize, Marlowe," I replied with a smirk. "I was merely using them to stay alive. They've helped me find my own way, but I've always kept my eye on number one. Take me with you and I can help you achieve anything."

She lowered the knife; my words must have gotten through to her.

"Show me," she demanded.

I held out my hands, my right palm facing up and my left ready to snap my fingers. As I snapped, a bright blue flame appeared in my hand.

"I'm stronger than I look. I can protect you from anything as long as you show me how to be more like yourself."

"Interesting. I'd read no one was able to control the power of the Cintamani Stone, but I suppose they hadn't tried children," she noted, eyeing me up and down. "Fine, come along. Cutter, you can walk."

"Ah, come on, they were a right pair of assholes!" he shouted as we entered the car. I flashed him a wink before closing the door behind me.

With Talbot at the wheel, we sped through the streets of London, the rain pounding against the windshield. Eventually, we turned down an alleyway leading to a large green garage door. With the press of a button on the dashboard, the door retracted into the building. After slowly rolling inside, he pressed the button once more, shutting the gate behind us. We found ourselves in a dark, dilapidated room. Boxes and loading pallets were strewn about the dusty stone tile floor which was wet from the leaky ceiling. As I surveyed the room, I felt the car begin slowly moving toward the other side of the room. Just before hitting the moldy brick wall, we stopped on sections of floor that were raised above the rest. They sank into the floor, revealing two light sensors on the wall ahead. They were an identical height to the car's headlights, causing me to wonder just what kind of group I found myself with.

After a few seconds, the sensors activated, raising the brick wall and revealing a tunnel reminiscent of a mine shaft. As we slunk down the corridor the wall dropped shut behind us. The dirt kicked up a cloud of dust just thick enough to make it hard to see where we were going. Eventually the ground flattened out and the car stopped. As the dust settled, I looked out the window, seeing an abandoned train station which looked to have been from the early nineteen-hundreds. Chandeliers containing large light bulbs hung from the ceiling, dusty and lifeless. Wooden boards were laid across sections sunken tracks while the remaining train cars sat in partially-collapsed tunnels.

"Get out and follow us," commanded Marlowe.

"You got it," I responded.

We made a quiet journey through the abandoned station, eventually reaching a small hallway leading to a balcony which overlooked a library situated in a stone brick room. Wide staircases sloped from either side of the balcony. The room was lined by bookcases filled with dusty, frail books. In the middle of the room sat a wooden table on which resided several open books and unrolled papers, all of which looked quite old. I followed Marlowe and Talbot down the stairs and over to the table. My eye quickly jumped to the only artifact on the table. It was a circular golden device approximately seven inches in diameter. Circular rows of several languages' alphabets lined the item, each line getting smaller as it approached the middle. Below the circles laid gears of varying sizes. In the middle was a small hole fashioned to be the exact size of Nate's ring. This decoder is what I was sent to retrieve.

Marlowe reached into her pocket and produced the ring, deviously grinning at it. Slipping the leather necklace from it, she began attempting to insert it into the decoder. However, it was barely too large for the hole as it refused to be inserted.

"It's a forgery!" she screeched as she shoved the contents of the table to the floor.

"What?! Impossible! I checked it myself! I saw him put it around his neck!" Talbot insisted.

Marlowe closely inspected the ring then rolled it into her hand, giving the illusion of it disappearing.

"I'm afraid we had a traitor during your little exchange," Marlowe realized.

"Cutter…" Talbot cursed. With one furious swipe, Marlowe shoved a pile of papers off the table.

"They're likely on their way now." said Marlowe as she turned to her guards.

"Keep a close watch for Drake," she ordered. "We need to make sure everything else is secure. I want this cleaned up by the time we get back, girl," she ordered. The two of them stomped off deeper into the library. As the echoes of the footsteps faded, I began cleaning up the files scattered across the floor. As I cleaned, I saw the name "John Owens" flash before me on one of the papers. I snapped it from the pile and stared at it. My father… Marlowe knew him. I pored through the words, learning as much about him as possible.

Born January 6th, 1976, he had been arrested twenty-eight times before 1983, the year he had joined Marlowe's organization. He had assisted in attempting to find the Cintamani Stone and the Fountain of Youth, along with several other mythical locations and artifacts. However, he had never succeeded at finding any. It's recorded he'd had several arguments with Marlowe on how the organization should be run and what its goals should be, which led to him eventually quitting to form his own group in 1993… the same year I was born. The footnotes read he had said several times the organization should be working toward global dominance in order to make the world safer for the general populace and often spoke in defense of his wife when ordered to cut ties with her.

Suddenly I heard gunshots echoing from the entrance. I assumed it was Nate and the rest of our group, but I wanted to be sure. I took cover behind a bookshelf until the shooting stopped.

The noise continued for a matter of minutes. Then, silence fell. I heard a gruff voice coming from the entrance.

"Kid, you've really gotta work on your stealth. We wouldn't wind up in these messes if you were quieter."

I peered around the corner and noticed my group running down the stairs, with Nate leading the way. I felt a grin form around my mouth, however I needed to stay hidden as to continue my ruse against Marlowe.

Nate walked up to the table and picked up a small book laying next to the astrolabe. Thumbing through it, he proclaimed "Hey… this book belonged to T.E lawrence!"

As he continued flipping through the pages, a small envelope slipped from the book. Picking it up, Nate read "May 13th, 1935… hey, wasn't that the day he died in that motorcycle accident?"

"Witnesses did say there were people in suits giving thumbs ups to the biker kids who cut him off."

"So you guys think this group is responsible for that too?" questioned Cutter.

"I don't see why not," responded Nate.

He produced a small piece of paper from his bag. On it was written ancient Enochian script. Entering the symbols into the astrolabe, he wrote the translation under the old symbols.

"So what does it say?" asked Charlie, breaking the silence.

"Long hidden…" Nate read.

"Well of course the clue would be long hidden," Charlie said as he breathed a sigh of annoyance.

"Hold on, there's gotta be something more to it," Nate hushed as he rushed across his journal trying to figure out what the message could mean. Landing on the desired page, he thumped his journal on the table and once more began scribbling on the paper.

"The golden hind," Nate whispered. "Wait, Lawrence's ship had a golden hind on the front of his ship, just like Francis Drake's. That means if we find that hind, we find what he was hiding!" Nate announced.

"You mean like… that one?" Sully said as he pointed to the column behind Nate. Mounted there was a shimmering gold statue of a deer head.

"Y-yeah. Good eye, Sully." Nate climbed around bookcases and handholds on the stone support beam. Reaching the hind, he inspected it for any switches or pockets Pressing down on the top with his right hand, his left one slipped, leaving him hanging from the ornament.

"Nate, you alright?!" Sully called to him.

"Yeah, just a little embarrassed!" he said as he clung to the slippery surface.

Without notice, the artifact came loose from the wall, crashing to the floor, Nate falling along with it. As it slammed against the ground, a brown, brittle piece of folded paper came skittering out from the bottom of its neck. Nate groaned as he stood up and staggered over to the paper. Before he could unfold it, he heard the shout of an older woman echo from the library.

"Drake!"

I looked in front of me and saw Marlowe and Talbot marching toward them, guards in tow.

"Don't. Move," she ordered.

"Hey, Marlowe, nice place you've got here!"

"Shut it, you mongrel; and Lillian, what were you doing just hiding here, you should have stopped them!"

"What did you expect me to do, fight all three of them? I'd get torn apart!"

"You know… I still have yet to see your loyalty to me," she said, slowly walking around me. "Prove yourself… kill Drake," she ordered, her voice dripping with malice. Handing me an antique Colt revolver, she gently moved my hands toward my dad. "Do it," she whispered harshly.

I took a deep, slow breath. For a moment, a look of fear crossed Nate's face.

"Lily…" he spoke.

I felt a drop of anger splash into my core, all of which was directed at this woman for making Nate feel fear. For a moment, the world flashed blue.

"I'll never hurt him, you witch!" I tore my hands from Marlowe's grasp and struck her face with the gun, sending her to the ground.

"Run!" I shouted as bullets began whizzing passed my head. Grabbing the paper and astrolabe, Nate lead everyone else from the library. As I crossed the table, I grabbed the file containing the only details I'll ever have of my father. Running up the stairs and into the tunnels, we began our getaway.

Sprinting through the old train station, we encountered wave after wave of supression. Men in suits fired at us from around every turn. Luckily, the train station was filled with debris from years of disuse, offering us cover. Dipping into our years worth of experience allowed us to quickly tear through any challenge offered. Shortly after dispatching the forces ahead, I glanced back and saw even more goons armed with AK47s chasing after us, headed by Talbot. With an opening in front of us, we dashed through the train tunnels toward the exit, fighting our way through several more waves of enemies.

"Chloe, we're almost out, get ready!" Nate called on his earpiece.

Reaching a steep, dimly-lit set of staircases, we rushed toward the doorway. Outside I heard the screeching of tires coming to a halt accompanied by the hum of a large van engine. Bursting through the door, we were met by a white panel van driven by Chloe. Cutter and Sully rushed to the door and tore them open while I jumped inside. Nate turned around and returned fire on the guards still chasing after us.

"Go, I'll catch up!" he called.

"Ugh, he really is an idiot sometimes," Chloe sighed as she stomped on the accelerator. As the wheels screeched on the pavement, Nate began running toward us while firing at our foes behind us. Hearing the familiar click of an empty pistol clip, he dropped it and dove toward the van, his fingertips barely catching the rear. Sully and I grabbed his forearms and hoisted him inside, slamming the doors behind him.

"Whew, that was a close one!" he smiled.

"Kid, you really need to stop doin' this kinda stuff. I'm gonna have a heart attack one of these days," Sully scoffed.

As we rested, the van sped off into the quiet streets of London.


	2. A Solemn Revelation

Arriving at a small apartment building, Charlie led us through the front door and up a couple flights of steps. Stepping into his home, I was met by the warm glow of the room's bright lamps. The floors were comprised of aged birch planks with several couches and chairs spread about. In the back corner sat a small loft accompanied by a plush couch surrounded with stuffed bookshelves. A huge window was stretched across the wall adjacent from the entrance. In the middle of the room sat a wooden table surrounded by matching chairs. On it sat a mess of papers detailing T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, and his search for a certain lost city.

I sauntered to a comfy-looking chair by the window and slumped into it. Chloe reached into the cupboards and pulled out a few wine glasses for the group. After a long night, it was nice to relax with one of my favorite drinks to celebrate a night of success with my treasure hunting partners. I could feel the aches in my muscles vanish with each sip I took. Nate was on the couch with his face buried in the documents we gathered over the past couple of months trying to link the clues together.

"Care to join us, bookworm?" asked Charlie bringing Nate back to the present.

"Yeah, just a sec…" he mumbled.

He slowly rose from the couch carrying the map and Lawrence's journal in his arms. I quickly followed suit.

"This map proves that Drake didn't mess around in the Andes for six months," Nate announced as he flattened out a browning map containing sketches of mountains and a middle eastern desert. "He sailed straight through to Arabia!" he beamed.

"You see this symbol?" he pointed to the bottom right corner marked with three red numbers; double zeros and a seven, the top of which elongated above the zeros.

"That's John Dee's signature," his eyes panned to Sully and I. I remember reading that name years ago while studying a book on Queen Elizabeth.

"Who the heck is John Dee?" questioned Sully.

"He's one of Queen Elizabeth's most trusted advisors, everyone knows that," answered Charlie.

"Yeah, he was a great mathematician and navigator," Nate added. "He was way ahead of his time and no doubt he had a hand in designing that," he pointed to the astrolabe that rested in Chloe's hands.

"Anyways, he always signed his and the Queen's letters with that symbol, like he was her eyes. I guarantee you they sent Drake to Arabia."

"But why?" Sully shrugged.

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it? This is where I think Lawrence comes in," Nate began, flipping through the journal.

"Lawrence was an amazing archeologist. Even when he was a kid, he was fascinated with history, especially with knights and the crusades. He documents every crusader site he found in this journal; it's all here," he said, showing us the book's sketches.

"But how does this relate with Drake?" asked Sully.

"I'm getting to that," Nate hushed.

"How aren't you used to his rambling, Sully? You know he does this while explaining things," I noted.

"Good point," he responded.

Nate continued. "Lawrence said that if he ever made it back to Arabia he would continue his search for the Atlantis of the Sands."

My eyes narrowed with intrigue at this revelation.

"In the legend it's called by many names; Ubar, Iram of the Pillars or the City of Brass, but the story was always the same."

Nate slid Lawrence's journal to Sully, who began reading aloud.

"A city of immeasurable wealth, destroyed by God for its arrogance, swallowed forever in the sands of the Rub' al Khali desert."

Sully's growing interest was palpable.

"I like the immeasurable wealth part," he nodded while taking a puff of his cigar.

"If Drake was sent to find this lost city and was there for months… why all this secrecy? He sure went through a lot of trouble to cover it up," asked Chloe.

"I'm… not entirely sure," Nate sighed.

"But that's what we're going there to find out, right?" I questioned.

"Are you sure you want to do this again, Nate? Remember what happened last time we travelled halfway around the world for a lost city?" Chloe inquired.

"It's different this time, we have the upper hand. Drake had half of these clues, Lawrence had the other, but we have both and Marlowe has _none_," Nate smirked.

"There's one small problem; the desert is six hundred miles across,"explained Sully.

"Take a look at what's written all over the map," Nate suggested and I recognized the language as Sabaean script, one I remember reading in one of his old journals a few years ago.

"Crusaders were searching for the same lost city a thousand years ago. Out of all the sites Lawrence documented, only two were marked with that script: one in Syria, the other in Paris."

Chloe's hand shot up at the mention of Paris.

"We'll be going to Paris," he said addressing to himself, Sully, and I. "You two will go to Syria."

"I'll bring you back something nice," I assured Chloe, whose face had a look of defeat.

"If we track down these clues, we'll be able to find the exact location of Lawrence's lost city," smirked Nate.

"Just how do you suggest we cross six hundred miles of sand?" asked Charlie.

"It's in the middle of the desert, so it's technically only three hundred miles," corrected Nate.

"It's about the journey not the destination," I chuckled.

"We'll burn the bridge when we get there right, guys?" asked Chloe.

"Is everyone in?" asked Nate eagerly.

"You bet!" we all agreed as we clanked our wine glasses together.

After our briefing, everyone scattered about the apartment. When Nate disappeared into the bathroom and Sully had his back turned, I snuck a Malibu bottle I spotted in Charlie's cupboard. Once I claimed the recliner for the night, I tucked the bottle underneath the cushions. When I knew I was alone and Nate passed out, I reached for John's file and retrieved my bottle. With my strong drink resting on my thigh, I shuffled through the pages by lamp light. Nate was sprawled across the couch snoring quietly.

The documents contained transcripts of his whereabouts, receipts and criminal records. As I read his file, I felt my hatred for him reignite within me. I furiously consumed my drink as I tried to calculate the damage he must've caused for this family.

"You should get some sleep, Lil," mumbled Nate as he shifted on the couch.

"I'm fine," I declined but my tone said otherwise.

Nate swiftly claimed a seat next to me on the recliner armrest and reached for the half empty bottle, giving me a disappointed look.

"What? I needed something to take the edge off," I shrugged as Nate gestures towards it like he was about to scold me. He placed the bottle on the coffee table.

"Did you find anything helpful?"

"Marlowe tracked John for years after he left the organization; she has everything," I huffed. Nate took the folder and examined the documents.

"Damn…" he sighed.

"Tell me about it," I chuckled humorlessly as I reached for the bottle and took a sip. The alcohol singed my throat.

"I'm sorry, Lil," said Nate.

"What for? It's not your fault he ran that family into the ground," I grunted.

I took another sip.

"Do you… regret killing him?" Nate asked hesitantly. His expression concerned me, leading me to believe there was more meaning behind the question. I chose my words carefully.

"No, but I wish things ended differently."

"Would you have left with him instead?"

My heart sank when his eyes reflected sadness.

"Dad, you seriously think I'd leave you after everything we've been through?" I inquired.

"He was your father," Nate reminded me. I placed my hand on his arm.

"He would never have given me a second chance."

Nate tore away from me, informing me I gave the wrong answer.

"John was a monster that needed to be stopped. I could never have forgiven myself if I allowed him to…" I paused.

"You're my father now Nate, and I wouldn't trade that for anything."

"Thanks Lil," said Nate with a sad grin.

We sat there as the rain began to pound against the windows.

"We should get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow," Nate yawned.

I was about to protest until I yawned too.

"You're right," I nodded. Nate ruffled my hair as he slumped onto the couch and immediately began snoring. I closed my eyes as the melodious raindrops carried me to sleep.


	3. Control

Nate and Sully's bickering over directions filled the car as we traversed through a thick jungle in the middle of the Paris countryside. My chin resting on my palm, I stared up at the towering trees. The familiar scene gave me nostalgia for my first time adventuring with these two, although my heart grew heavy as I remembered how that particular trip ended. My conversation with Nate before we left for Paris plagued my memory. As I closed my eyes to nap until the journey's end, I found myself back in John's lab in Chicoasén. John was on the ground in front of me, choking Nate as he pinned him down. I tried to scream but nothing came out. When attempting to move, it seemed like my legs were soldered to the floor, and my arms felt as if they were made of steel. I was helpless as I watched the life leave Nate's eyes. Suddenly, John appeared inches from my face, sand pouring over him as if he were producing it from his entire body. I shook awake, my skin covered in a thin, cold sweat. As I looked around, I gathered I had been asleep for quite awhile, as our surroundings had changed dramatically.

The car jolted to a stop as the road narrowed into thickets. I grunted as we slid out of the vehicle and gathered supplies for the long hike. We hovered around Nate's map while he marked our trail before heading into the trees.

"I think we go this way…?" pondered Nate as he pointed northeast.

"You think?" I teased.

"I know!" he replied confidently.

"You'd oughta; I taught you well enough. Besides, I don't want to relive Peru," reminded Sully.

"Hey, I told you never to mention that!" Nate hushed.

His reaction piqued my interest.

"What happened in Peru?" I poked.

"Sully, please," Nate bargained.

"You _know _I live for these stories! Come on Sully, tell me!" I encouraged.

Sully grinned deviously as he leaned close.

"Your dad got us lost for an entire week."

"I believe it. He brought the wrong map to one of our jobs and walked in circles for days until he figured it out," I joked.

"Come on guys, I'm sure you've misread maps before," Nate pouted.

"Lily and I did plenty of jobs trying to get your ass outta prison, and we never got lost once!" Sully bragged.

"C'mon Sully, I was fifteen at the time," Nate defended.

"She was sixteen," Sully added as I burst into laughter.

"Don't worry, we're all human, Dad. Some of us just take a little longer to learn from our mistakes," I said through my giggling.

"As much as I love indulging Lil with our horror stories, we better get going," Nate urged, his response giving off a hint of sarcasm.

"Ah-huh," chuckled Sully.

We climbed over fallen logs and swollen tree roots as we ventured deeper into the forest. The woods had made a fool of me by the time we reached a clearing, as my palms and knees were covered with scrapes and bristles. Ornate moss-covered marble statues guarded a half-collapsed bridge which once crossed over a deep ravine. On the other side towered a giant ancient chateau. Several of the windows were cracked or missing and the front doors had collapsed inwards, further allowing the elements to invade.

"Look, there's the chateau, just like in Lawrence's notes!" Nate declared. "Too bad the bridge is gone."

"Well, this sucks. What now?" Sully pondered as he looked around.

"Gimme a sec, I gotta think," Nate responded, his chin resting between his thumb and index finger.

We all stood there for a moment trying to figure out a way across.

After a sufficiently awkward silence, Sully broke the quiet.

"Well, Nate? Any ideas?"

"I just need to think a little more, I've almost got it. You gotta have more faith in me, Sully."

I watched as Sully impatiently checked his watch. He looked around the trees above us, suddenly blurting out "Ah-hah!"

"Ah… hah?" Nate confusedly responded.

Sully started climbing a tree to a grappling hook hidden in plain sight at the end of a branch.

"Woah, nice climbing, gramps!" I called out.

"Don't call me that," he grouched.

"What, you're basically his dad, what else should I call you?" I joked as I motioned to Nate.

"My name," he responded, scowling.

"... nah, I think I like gramps better," I smiled.

The smallest smirk poked from under his mustache.

"Watch out, I'm gonna cut this down!" Sully shouted, brandishing his knife and sawing away at the wood with the sharp-toothed side. Sawdust floated to the ground, shortly followed by the crash of a leafless branch. While Sully climbed down to safety, I walked over and grabbed the rope, handing it to Nate.

"I know you learned how to do this at some point; think you can rope it?" Sully joked.

"Do you think I can rope it?" Nate said, mockingly. I noticed the side of his mouth give off a twitch of sadness, but he had already tossed the rope to the left brace of the bridge. The hook swung around several times until digging itself into the wood.

"I'll swing over and climb up, then I'll toss the rope down to you guys," he informed before leaping off the cliff, rope in hand. He easily climbed onto the bridge and tossed the rope to Sully, who also easily climbed up to the bridge, albeit slower than Nate.

"You ready, kid?!" Sully called down to me.

"Now or never, right?!" I responded loudly enough for him to hear me.

Tossing the rope to me, I caught it and gave it a tug to make sure it was still taught. The hemp material was extremely frayed and poked the inside of my hands as I held it.

"You comin', Lil?!" Nate beckoned.

"Yeah, just a sec! I've never done this before!"

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. Opening my eyes, I rushed toward the cliff and leapt off, my fingers clenched tightly around the rope. As the air rushed passed me, I tried my hardest to not look down. As soon as my momentum slowed I began climbing. I felt the wood start to buckle and saw a look of panic cross Nate's face.

"It's starting to break, you need to hurry!" he called, reaching down his hand.

I doubled my speed, the rope flailing below me. As I climbed to safety, I noticed the material starting to unravel. Just as the wood piece broke off, I pulled myself up toward Nate and gripped his hand. As he pulled me up, I grasped the bridge with my other hand and hoisted myself up.

I sat near the edge catching my breath.

"Well, I guess we're not gonna be using that hook again anytime soon," Nate joked. "Let's keep going, we've got a lot of ground to cover."

Standing up, I followed Nate and Sully to the other side of the bridge where we finally made it into the mansion.

Walking in, I felt the crunch of broken glass beneath my feet. The entirety of the floor was covered with twigs and wet leaves. The perimeter of the room was lined by a balcony on which sat several lines of bookcases, each filled with tattered, rotting books. As I scanned for a clear passage, the abandoned room sent a wave of unwanted memories over me, reminding me of when I traveled alone, as I had been forced to spend the night in several lifeless buildings similar to this. I shoved the sadness to the back of my mind and continued into the middle of the lobby.

"Hmm… looks like we need to go through the hallway over ther- aaand it's blocked," Nate said, cutting himself off as he pointed to the doorway in the back left corner. In front of the door laid a thick wooden beam, collapsed from centuries of decay.

Nate and Sully grappled the beam, heaving as they attempted to clear the path, however their efforts were in vain.

"Step aside boys," I said as a grin appeared on my face.

"Lil, Sully and I couldn't even get it to budge. We'll find another wa-"suggested Nate as I approached the beam.

Before he could finish speaking, I took my stance on the upper side of the beam, positioning one hand in front and the other behind. In one smooth movement, I yanked the wood from its hollow. Dust and leaves flew into the air as it slammed to the floor.

"My… God," expressed Sully, flabbergasted by my strength. "Nate, what've you been feeding her, and where can I get some?"

"You should've went with us to Nepal, Sully!" Nate retorted as he started down the hall.

"... what does that mean?" he asked after standing there for a second.

I snapped my fingers in front of his face, sparking out a small blue flame. After a quick wink and a nod, I followed after Nate.

Sully stood there, his mouth agape.

"... I'm gonna need a drink after this," he sighed.

As we explored the mansion we came across disheveled living areas, rusty kitchens, and cavernous halls covered in moss and partially collapsed architecture. Several rooms met us with puzzles, all of which we made a quick word of thanks to Lawrence's guides. Eventually we were able to navigate to a lonely laboratory. In the middle of the room sat a stone table on which sat several tattered pages filled with Sabaean script. The walls adjacent to the table featured several bookcases filled with moldy books.

"Judging by what I read in fantasy novels, this looks like an alchemist lab," I said as we scoured the room for clues.

"Then this must be John Dee's lab!" Nate gasped.

"All the way out here in Paris?" Sully shrugged.

"Maybe he wanted to follow the path of the Crusaders like Lawrence?" considered Nate.

"I wouldn't put it past him," I nodded.

With us gathered around the stone table, I felt like a knight preparing for an adventure. I pondered if Dee had this in mind while constructing this place. Underneath the parchment, I spotted a familiar language carved on the surface which bordered the table.

"Hey, check this out," I waved my partners over.

"It's Enochian script," Nate and I said in unison. Sully chuckled shortly after.

Nate retrieved the astrolabe from his back pocket and reached for his ring, which he pressed in the center of the tool. The gears clicked and shifted into place. Nate was about to twist the middle notch when he turned to me.

"Would you like to do the honors?" he offered. I glanced at Sully as if I needed confirmation on what I just heard.

"Are you sure? You've been tracking this thing for twenty years, don't you want to use it?" I questioned.

"I figured my daughter deserves an equal part in this," he smiled. "I'll have plenty of opportunities to use it later," he winked. I slowly took the astrolabe from him.

"My translation may be a bit rusty," I admitted.

"A bit _rusty_? I taught you nearly the entirety of Enochian script," Nate pouted sarcastically.

"Calm down Lancelot, I was being modest because I didn't want to intimidate you," I hushed.

"Would you stop squabbling and figure out what this says?" Sully sighed irritably as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Aw, don't be like that. You still love us, right Grandpa Sully?" I teased. My lashes fluttered innocently. Nate bit his knuckle to prevent himself from laughing.

"I told you not to call me that," Sully smirked with a glare.

"He loves us," I nodded to Nate. I tugged on the astroble's cipher gear to the correct symbol and hurriedly scribbled the English translation in my journal. Whenever I struggled, Nate would suggest helpful tips.

"The alter guards the entrance… to the underworld?" I read hesitantly.

"Nice job, Lil," Nate nodded.

"What can I say? I learn from the best," I smiled.

Nate taught me unique techniques when it came to solving riddles like this one. I studied the phrase carefully, trying to decipher its meaning. I scratched my head as I eliminated words, definitions and other related phrases that could help us.

"Underworld could refer to underground," I noted.

I knelt down and checked under the table. Below the base were scrape marks on the floor.

"Help me push this," I requested as I shoved the table away.

"He-llo!" Nate said musically as we revealed a hole that dropped into a cavern. A rotted ladder descended into the darkness.

"I'll go first," Nate offered after he gathered our supplies.

As Nate and Sully climbed into the hole, I followed my partners into the unknown.

"Hey Sully, hand me your lighter," Nate requested as he reached upward.

"I'll want this back," Sully scowled.

"You know smoking kills your lungs, right?" I reminded him.

"How else could I get this rugged voice? I've had several ladies complement it," Sully rebutled.

"I've been telling him that for years, he still won't budge," said Nate as he flicked the lighter to life, illuminating the cave below.

Reaching the bottom, the entirety of the cave was made of rock and dirt, exactly what I'd expect of a place like this. The walls were lined with cobwebs and small streams of water puddling on the floor. I could hear a faint wind howling from the darkness.

"Ugh, smells like death down here," I observed.

"What do you expect from a cavern like this?" Nate responded.

We started our trek down the lonely path.

"So what are we supposed to find at the end of this, Dad?" I asked.

"Lawrences journal said 'Death holds the answer,' so it's either a coffin or we might be in over our heads.

… I'm hoping it's the first one."

"It'd better be the first one," commented Sully.

We chatted for a while longer until we finally reached the end of the dark hallway. The end wall was made of large crumbled boulders. Putting my hand against a crack, I quickly found the source of the wind I heard earlier. In front of the wall sat a plain-looking stone coffin. On the coffin was scribbles written Enochian script.

"Well, what's it say, geniuses?" questioned Sully.

"It says… 'As above, so below,'" Nate translated. "Guess the answer to whatever that means is inside. Gimme a hand with this."

The three of us shoved the lid off the top of the coffin. As it slammed to the ground a thick layer of dust clouded the tunnel. The dust cleared to reveal a skeleton wrapped in rusted armor. Its arms were crossed gently over its chest, its boney fingers gripping a small stone amulet. Nate snagged it and rubbed his finger over a carving of a strange star.

"It's Sabaean script," said Nate. I peered over his shoulder.

"Ancient Yemen. 16th century, around Drake's time," I recited.

"This thing's three-thousand years old, but it's busted; without the other half we won't know where to look next," Nate added.

"Hand that here," I requested, retrieving the journal from my pouch. I placed the amulet under a page and rubbed over it with my pencil.

"For safekeeping," I smiled as I tucked my journal back in its home.

"Good idea. Why don't you hold onto the amulet too?" suggested Nate.

"Sure thing," I squeezed the artifact into my bag.

"The other half had better be in Syria," said Sully. "Now how the hell do you suggest we get outta here?

"There's air coming from those rocks, so they're pretty loose already. If I give them a good push, I should be able to collapse the wall."

I walked up to the wall of boulders and pushed on it in a way it wouldn't fall on us. As they crumbled forward, I saw a burst of light and heard the short yelp of a soldier who had apparently been standing on the other side.

"Guess we won't have to worry about this guy," I smirked, scratching the back of my head.

Ahead of us was the rest of the long corridor constructed of clay bricks. On the right was a line of paneless windows overlooking a cliffside. The end of the hall cut to the left. As we reached the end and rounded the corner, we were greeted by a familiar face, accompanied by two guards.

"Hey there pretty boy! Did you miss me?" I exclaimed.

"After what you did to Marlowe back in London, I was hoping to never see your face again," Talbot growled.

"Ouch. I'll make sure to send an apology letter."

"Enough with the small talk. We're here to collect what's rightfully ours," Talbot insisted.

"Rightfully yours? You're joking, right?" I laughed.

When one of the guards trained his pistol on me, Nate took a protective stance.

"Harris, would you kindly fetch the artifact from Miss Drake?" requested Talbot.

"Yeah, Harris. Come get it, I dare ya," I encouraged as he approached me with his finger resting over the trigger. Nate flung himself at Harris and began wrestling the gun from his hand. I heard a loud pop as a bullet grazed Nate's shoulder. Clutching his arm in pain, Harris kicked Nate to the ground.

"Dad!" I shrieked as my eyes drift from him to Talbot and his goons. I felt a familiar rage burning within me. As I began running at Harris, I suddenly found myself directly in front of him. Punching him in the gut, he was sent flying into the wall behind him, leaving it cracked. I twitched as the gun's cold barrel pressed against the back of my head. As I slowly glanced back, Talbot was no longer in front of us. He had appeared directly behind me in the blink of an eye.

"Is this really worth dying over?" Talbot chuckled menacingly.

"Give it to them, Lily," Sully urged. The note of fear in his plea encouraged me to obey.

I reached into my pocket, retrieving the artifact. As I handed it to Talbot, he looked down at me and chuckled.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I'll be on my way. Here's a little parting gift… think of it as repayment for Harris."

As he returned to his cohort, he pointed his pistol to my leg and pulled the trigger. A blistering pain seared from my inner thigh as the bullet slammed toward the ground.

"Talbot, you'll pay for this!" Nate avowed.

Gritting my teeth, I gripped my leg to stop the bleeding.

"He's right… I'm going to rip you apart," I promised, glaring daggers at him.

"Sure, and I'm the queen of England. Larry, let's go," Talbot said as he beckoned for his other guard to follow. They continued down the corridor and turned the corner, disappearing from sight.

"Lily, we've gotta get that leg patched up," said Sully. "Nate, get me some gauze," he said, motioning to Nate's pouch.

"Wait… the bullet went all the way through, so we don't need to worry about taking it out. Gimme a sec, I can handle this…" I said, putting my hand up for him to stop.

I began meditating on my damaged leg, willing for it to heal. Steam began pouring from the bloody wound, taking the pain into the air with it. I watched as the hole closed itself, leaving behind no sign of it ever existing.

Sully stood there mesmerized.

"... Nate? When were you gonna tell me about this?" he stammered.

"We thought it would be more fun for you to find out when the time was right," I smirked.

"Uh… right," Nate added shakily. He shot me a glance of slight annoyance, but I just gave him a smile and turned to face the tunnel.

"Now, that moron has something that doesn't belong to him. What do you guys say we get it back?" I said as I began striding forward.

"You're sure you're alright?" asked Sully, still enamored by my sudden healing.

"Do I look hurt, gramps?" I said over my shoulder. "Just be ready for more surprises," I winked.

As we passed the limp body on the ground and rounded the corner, we were greeted by a damaged stone door. Behind it sat a tall cylindrical room lined by a staircase. Several sections of the stairs were missing, causing me to wonder how Mr. Tea Bags managed to climb it. Blazing torches dotted the walls all the way to the top, barely keeping the inky darkness at bay. I could barely make out the arch of another tunnel entrance up there as well. The doors slammed behind us as we began our climb to the top. After making it up a couple flights, we heard an echoing clunk below us. I looked down and saw the torches begin extinguishing. Shortly behind them was a torrent of what looked like giant spiders rushing toward us.

"We need to hurry!" exclaimed Nate as he grabbed a torch and began clambering up the stairs. Sully and I followed suit, barely keeping space between us and the blackness eager to swallow us. Finally reaching the tunnel at the top, we sprinted toward the end, only to be blocked by another stone door.

"Sully, hold the torch, Lily and I are gonna try to bust this door open!" Nate shouted, handing Sully the torch and slamming his shoulder into the door. Dust shook from it, but nothing budged. I joined in the effort, but even our combined strength did nothing.

"You might wanna hurry up, this torch isn't gonna last forever!" Sully reminded, holding up the quickly fading flame.

Hit after hit, the door didn't move. I looked back and saw the swarm of spiders rushing down the tunnel. This was the last thing I saw as the torch died. All I could hear in the darkness was the scurrying of the infinite legs.

I felt a fear akin to nothing I had ever experienced. Without a thought I let out a guttural scream and raised my arms forward, letting the fear explode from my arms in a hot stream of blue flame, scorching the tunnel and obliterating the spiders held within. Using the dim light of the smouldering bodies littering the hall, I focused the same power into my fist, turning around and slamming it into the doors, causing them to fly into the room beyond and come to a skittering halt on the adjacent side.

Strength left my legs and I dropped to the ground, my hands hitting the floor to stop me from fully collapsing. Cold sweat dripped down my face as the world went a bit fuzzy.

"Lil, are you alright?!" called Nate as he ran to my side. "Sully, help me get her into the light."

Nate and Sully hoisted me to my feet and helped me walk to the room beyond the exit.

The area was extremely similar to the entrance. Bookcases lined the walls, several of which had fallen down. The sides featured broken window panes. Below them sat small puddles of water that had collected due to lack of protection from rain.

They sat me on the cleanest patch they could find in front of a wall.

"Are you gonna be able to walk the rest of the way?" questioned Nate.

"Yeah, I just need to… rest for a bit," I responded. "I can already feel my legs again." I forced myself to stand, my legs shaking as I balanced myself against the wall. Heaving a deep sigh, I stabilized my body and felt the rest of my energy return.

"So what the hell was that back there? Just who, or what, are you?!" shouted a flustered Sully.

"So you really didn't tell him anything, Dad?"

"I didn't want him to worry," responded Nate.

"I guess _I'll_ explain, then. While we were fighting Lazarević under the Tree of Life, he knocked me into a giant pool of that blue sap. I accidentally drank it, but instead of turning into a monster, I got these powers. We theorize I'm more compatible with it due to my age, but we're still not sure what'll happen once I'm fully-grown."

"I see… well, it saved our asses back there, and it obviously hasn't affected your personality, so I suppose it's nothing to worry about right now. It'll be nice having that extra firepower to use against Talbot and his idiots," he said, clenching his fist.

"You know it," I smiled. "Let's get going; if they're here, they're definitely already stationed in Syria, and I bet that's where Talbot's headed next."

We headed to the chateau lobby not far from where we emerged. When we got there, several soldiers were covering the floor at the bottom of the stairs in gasoline.

"Let's torch this place," one of them grinned. Walking to the open front door, he lit a match and flicked it onto the floor, igniting an immediately blazing fire. Slamming it shut, the fire quickly spread about the room. The flames licked the air as it searched for what to consume next.

"Well Nate, what now?!" Sully shouted over the blaze.

"Follow me!" he replied as he sprinted down a scorching hallway.

As we made our way through the remainder of the chateau, we were delayed by several of Talbot's henchmen who were trying to make sure we met our demise here. Thankfully we were able to quickly dispatch them by taking advantage of the constantly changing environment.

We finally made our way to a tall, square room with stairs lining the sides. Through the thick smoke I could barely make out the roof on the other side of the door at the top. Guards were already making their way forward in order to trap us in the hellfire. As we began fighting our way up, the floor buckled into the room below, leaving nothing between us and a blazing inferno but a thin veneer of stairs. Shooting at the adversaries in front of us, I felt the wood beneath us lurch; my heart dropped into my gut.

"Get going!" I shouted as I pushed Nate and Sully onto a more stable flight. Just as their feet made it to safety, the ground beneath me disappeared. Gravity pulled me down toward my demise as heat and terror enveloped me. The last thing I saw as I fell was Nate shouting my name as he stretched his hand towards me. Closing my eyes as I prepared for the end, the sweltering ground slammed into my back as I plummeted into it. Surprisingly, I felt no pain, and the heat had nearly vanished. Opening my eyes, I found myself enveloped in familiar blue flames, the same ones that protected me while fighting Lazarević. As I rose to my feet I began wondering if I had finally started to gain control over my powers; these thoughts were cut short by a deafening crackling sound above me. Looking up, I saw the chateau's tower toppling through the roof toward me. I tried running into the room adjacent to this, but my leg was trapped in rubble. Just as I broke free, the mass of wood and stone crushed me, however none of it came in direct contact with me; my flame shield had carved a small alcove within the structure as it attempted to crush me. Fire lashed at my barrier, hungry to devour me.

I searched the tiny cave for an exit, yet I found no reprieve. None of the walls shifted from even my most forceful punch. Suddenly I recalled destroying the swarm of spiders down in the caves with a blast of fire. I closed my eyes and began sensing every detail of the flames surrounding me. Images of the forest surrounding the Tree of Life began dancing around my mind as my left hand subconsciously rose in front of me, forming into a fist. As the thoughts grew stronger, I sensed the heat in my hand growing too, nearly to the point of scorching. Upon opening my eyes, I found white flames pouring from my fist. Pointing it at what I perceived as the wall nearest to the outside, I remembered the feeling of fear spilling from me, but this time I focused it on my palm. The power forced my hand open, blasting an immense hole through the wall, creating an escape route. Running through the flame-lined tunnel, I could see welcoming daylight on the other side. Shortly behind me I heard the structure crashing down, but I dared not to look back for fear of losing my protection. Finally rushing out onto the grass, the last of the ceiling collapsed, sending an array of smoke and ash surging passed me.

Sensing I was safe at last, I stopped and put my hands on my knees, heaving a sigh of partial relief as I caught my breath. Surveying my surroundings, I noticed my blast had reached far beyond the chateau; several trees had been disintegrated, a path of grass was cooked down to the hardened dirt, and a charred mark could be seen on the rock wall on the other side of the ravine.

The world faded back to its normal hue and I felt the wind gently brush against my face. The smell of burning cinders filled the air as the building continued to crackle. Looking down at my left hand, I noticed the skin was tender and pink. It didn't hurt, but I figured that attack wasn't something I should use often. I took a deep- if not disjointed- breath and brought myself back to the task at hand: I needed to find Nate and Sully.

I feared the worst for my partners; they had a difficult path left in front of them when I fell and I had no idea of what became of them. While I thought of where I could begin searching, I heard several British men arguing. They were quickly approaching and I had nowhere to go. As they emerged from some nearby bushes, they looked slightly dumbfounded as I stood there among the rubble; I even noticed one drop the cigarette out of his mouth. Passing a moment of silence, they aimed their guns at me, ready to fire. An inconceivably small moment before they began shooting, my hands thoughtlessly moved themselves in front of me, producing a wall of blue flame, incinerating anything passing through.

"It's not working!" one of them cried. As they reloaded, I focused the power into my arms, turning the wall into a sphere, and shot it toward them. The flesh was seared straight off their bones as my attacked passed by, continuing on toward the nearest solid wall. I staggered backward, astonished by my newfound power. Trying to ignore the corpses I had just produced, I began traipsing into the forest nearest to where Sully and Nate were likely to have emerged.

I crawled through the bushes until I heard a pair of familiar voices arguing. I peered through the leaves to find an ash-laiden Nate and Sully resting on a mossy log.

"I'll be back Sully, I promise," Nate assured as he prepared to trek back into the building.

"You're not going in there by yourself!" Sully demanded.

"I'm not abandoning her, Sully! She could be hurt… or worse…" Nate snapped.

"No one's asking you to."

Emerging through the bushes, I folded my arms and leaned against a nearby tree.

"Cancel your ticket in there, Dad. I'm fine," I said confidently.

Their heads shot in my direction, a concerned expression contorting Nate's face.

"Lily!" he shrieked as he sprinted towards me.

"When I saw you fall I… I thought I lost you," Nate sighed as we embraced.

"We just can't get rid of ya, can we, kid?" joked Sully, who I could tell was holding back a tear.

"Not that easily," I smiled.

"Why are you so hot? And how the hell did you survive that; the place was an inferno!"

"Remember the flames that surrounded me in Nepal? I can finally control them, and if you went back to where I escaped, you'll find the remnants of my new attack," I said, clenching my raised fist, which was still warm.

"You almost ready, Sully? We'd better get going soon," asked Nate as he outstretched his hand for Sully but he turned it down.

"Yeah, just give me a sec. Remember I have twenty-five years on you two."

"You're strong as an ox, Sully! It shouldn't take you this long to catch your breath," complimented Nate.

"What's the hurry? They think we're in _that_…" Sully huffed, pointing to the chateau.

"We almost were!" replied Nate.

I sat down on the log next to Sully and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Sully questioned.

Nate and I shot a glance at our friend.

"Don't tell me you're quitting now? Don't go giving me one of your 'I'm too old for this' speeches, because I'm not gonna hear it," Nate huffed.

"Nate, these guys are playing for keeps."

"He's right, Dad. We saw what these people are capable of. They burned down a building hoping we were in it for Pete's sake," I agreed.

"Yeah, and? Are you just gonna roll over for them now?" asked Nate defensively.

"No one's talking about rolling over. I've had your back for twenty years, I'm not going anywhere. Obviously. You have your pride tangled up in this and it's making you reckless; hell you almost got your daughter killed, Nate. I taught you better than that. Someday it's going to get you or all of us killed…"

"Then quit acting like you're giving up!"

"I'm sure as shit not giving up; I just want to make sure you're doing this for the right reason," reprimanded Sully as he began standing. "Now, we'd better get going if we hope to beat Talbot to Syria."

"You're right… let's go," said Nate solemnly.

As we began walking, Sully turned to Nate.

"I sure hope you remember where we parked the car, because I'm _completely_ turned around."


	4. As Above, So Below

After spending the afternoon partially lost in the forest, we were finally reunited with our car. We piled into the vehicle and sped to the closest airport where Sully somehow smooth-talked our way onto the next flight to Syria. Charading as a family on vacation, we made our way through the terminal. I never left Nate's side as I anxiously scanned the crowds for Talbot's men. Once on the plane, my mind was finally at ease. My thoughts turned to my newfound powers and what they might mean for all of us going forward.

Nate and I researched the Cintamani Stone when we returned home after our time in Nepal. We spent countless hours poring over books, hoping to find resolutions to my… unique situation. To our dismay, we weren't able to find anything mentioning children consuming the sap, let alone having fire powers. I avoided using my powers at all costs for fear of hurting those close to me. Having control over them has brought me some much-needed relief.

"I'm exhausted; wake me up if anything interesting happens," I informed Nate and Sully.

Listening to the passengers murmuring, I allowed myself to drift to sleep.

It was nightfall by the time we reached the hilltop fortress. The ancient structure was made completely of gray stone bricks. The walls were lined with small openings intended to be used as windows. Alongside them were small torches dotting the otherwise dark surface. The entrance, sealed by wooden doors, towered above us. The rest of the building stretched nearly to the hill's horizon.

Using the day's final public tour, we split from the group and huddled in a supply closet until closing. Once the coast was clear, we made our way across the fortress and began our search for Chloe and Cutter.

"Oh, my back. That's the last time I'm going anywhere that small with you, Nate… and remind me to buy you two some deodorant," Sully groaned, rubbing his lower back.

"Hey, you're no spring flower, grandpa. When was the last time you washed that shirt?" I retorted.

"Touché," he smiled.

The night sky twinkled with starlight as the moon beamed its light on us. I always enjoyed adventuring under the stars, even during my early travels; they made me feel safe. We stole down a path barred behind a metal barrier meant to keep trespassers out; I never understood security that can just be moved out of the way like this. At the end of the path sat a small door blocked off by large metal bars.

"Up this way," Nate suggested, pointing at the stones protruding from the walls. After climbing to the top, I took a short moment to soak in the natural mural sitting just beyond the walls. I could see straight down to the small village at the bottom of the hill. The street lamps were lit, although most house windows were dark. Nate and Sully had dropped to the other side of the wall; I rejoined after them, breaking my gaze from the beautiful view. The path led to a large, wooden locked door.

"I'll climb up and unlock it from the other side if it's safe. I'll be right back," Nate said in a hushed tone.

I watched as Nate scaled the wall, disappearing from sight. Moments later, I heard gunshots emanating from behind the door.

"Dad!" I called out.

"Shit… hurry and get this door open, Nate!"

"Hey, Sully… I have an idea."

"You're gonna blast it?"

"I'm gonna blast it," I smirked.

Bracing myself, I focused on my fist just like I had back at the chateau. White flames began flowing from between my clenched fingers.

"Stand back!" I warned. Thrusting my hand toward the door, a torrent of blinding flames erupted in front of me, obliterating the doors along with whatever was behind them.

Armed with our pistols, Sully and I raided the room, which consisted of several levels made up of nothing but carved stone. I immediately spotted Nate hiding behind cover on the third floor as I scanned above me. Talbot's guards were littered about the rest of the area; some were still firing at Nate, with the rest staring down at us, dumbfounded.

Taking advantage of our surprise entrance, the three of us quickly dispatched our adversaries.

Nate joined us on the ground floor, letting out a relieved sigh.

"I had that handled, guys. I'm sure that announced our arrival to every guard in the place. Still… thanks. I'm glad you're getting a hang of that power, Lil," Nate said.

"Glad to be of assistance," I grinned.

We continued through the doorway adjacent of the entrance. The doors had been blasted clean off their hinges from our entrance, clearing the way forward.

We continued our way through the twisting maze of corridors leading across the fortress. While on one of the outside paths, I stared up at the moonlit sky, searching for constellations.

Nearing the entranceway to another building, I began hearing speaking coming from within.

"I wish we were the ones to go to Paris," I heard an Australian voice complain.

Rounding the corner, we finally found Chloe and Cutter.

"No, you really don't. Trust me," Nate assured.

"Nate?! What're you doing here, why aren't you in Paris?" questioned Chloe.

"We figured you were captured," responded Nate.

"Or worse," chimed Sully.

"Talbot has half of the artifact we found in Paris, and we figured this is where he was heading next. We need to focus on getting the other half before him, then we'll work on taking back the other piece," I said.

"Good thing we have this, then. Look at this," Charlie said as he pulled his journal from his back pocket. I spotted scribbles on the newspaper clippings he had filed in his book.

"Not only did Queen Elizabeth's spy network stretch all the way out here, they were a part of a Hermetic secret society. The British Occult Secret Service, The School of Night, The Hellfire Club and the Order of the Golden Dawn they are all connected. So John Dee, Francis Walsingham, Walter Raleigh, and even your mate Drake, were all in on it; but to them, it was all about power, controlling their enemies with espionage, deception, and fear," Charlie explained.

"Sounds like my time in the Navy," joked Sully.

"So Marlowe and her crew?" Nate said understandingly.

"Are all part of the same order four hundred years later."

"Can you cut to the chase please? We really need to keep moving," Sully insisted. Charlie shuffled through the pages, poking his finger on the one he needed.

"Quod Est Superius." he quoted pointed to the scribbles in his journal as Nate studied the page.

"Est sicut quod est inferius…" Nate finished the sentence, his eyes widening. "As above so below…"

Peering in the book, I saw the symbol representing a star, resembling the one we found at the chateau. On the next page was an intricately-drawn dipper.

"A star and a dipper… that must represent the North Star and the Big Dipper. That's the key to all of this!" Charlie concluded.

"And the crypt should be right below it; right on, Charlie! We need to get to the highest point of the castle and find that star," Nate informed. We searched the room until we found a nearby flight of stairs and ascended to the roof of the citadel.

As we climbed the stairs into the tower, I saw several stray weapons lying around. The second floor of the structure contained even more munitions, however there was no sign of any opposition. The dim room, lit only by the windows leaking in moonlight and a few stray candles, was round and comprised of the same bricks as the rest of the structure. A stone column sat in the middle, connecting the floor to the ceiling.

Walking to the other side of the room, we found a large wooden door on the column which led to the overlook. As Nate opened the door, a mammoth-sized man emerged from behind and began attacking him. Simultaneously, guards began shooting down at us from the third floor.

Closing my fists, I felt heat gather within them. Rushing toward the giant as he threw Nate across the room, I planted both fists square in his gut and released the energy, blasting him through the tower wall, sending him plummeting to the castle bottom. As I regained my footing, a grenade clinked against the ground in front of me. Out of nowhere, Sully shoved me away just before it went off, shooting him through an adjacent window. Dazed from the explosion, I climbed to my feet and stumbled to where he fell through. Somehow, he managed to latch his fingertips to the windowsill, although his skin and clothes were singed from the detonation.

"Lily, I can climb up a floor and flank them; I need the rest of you to keep them busy from this side!" he instructed.

"I won't forgive you if you fall, gramps," I jabbed.

"I won't," he smirked as he leapt up the wall.

Brandishing my pistol, I rejoined the rest of the party who were taking cover behind pillars and small piles of bricks. On my way to cover, I was able to shoot a couple down, however they were quickly replaced by more guards.

"Thanks for the save back there, Lil. Is Sully alright?" Nate asked.

"He's a little banged up, but like you said, he's as strong as an ox! He's climbing to the third floor to flank them!" I shouted over the gunfire.

As if on queue, Sully appeared from behind the guards. Wrapping his arm around the leftmost one, he began firing at the rest of our adversaries. Each bullet struck its target as they dropped to the floor. He snapped the man's neck after dispersing the other enemies.

"Alright, Sully!" shouted Nate.

"Like I mentioned earlier: Navy."

The four of us climbed the stairs in the middle column up to the roof. As we emerged, a sniper bullet blazed passed my face.

"Take cover, we're not done!" called out Nate. We dove behind the stone crenellations lining the spire. I poked my head around the corner to try and spot where the shots might be coming from. Three snipers were stationed on several other towers, their lasers dancing around above us searching for a target. Beside each sniper was another soldier holding an RPG. As soon as I spotted them, each guard fired their rocket.

"Rockets incoming, get down!" I shouted. We all laid on the ground, hands over our heads, while the rounds slammed into our cover, reducing it to little more than rubble. Glancing up, I spotted a stray sniper rifle leaning against a small brick column a up a small flight of stairs a few feet away. A long, thick metal cable attached the column to a structure on the ground. Using the thick dust as cover, I sprinted toward the weapon and quickly armed myself. Poking around the corner, I aimed down the sights at the first sniper I saw and pulled the trigger.

My shot missed.

The guard I shot at immediately noticed and pointed up to where I was stationed, garnering the attention of his nearby allies who began firing at me with the M4s they had sitting by their feet. While I pressed myself as deep into cover as possible, thoughts rushed through my head. I took inventory of anything we could use to fight our adversaries, which wasn't much. My friends and family were still on the ground trying to keep safe from the assailment of bullets rushing toward us. Suddenly, an idea spark.

"Everyone, take cover in the stairwell! I'll handle this!" I ordered my group.

"Lily, what do you plan on doing?!" Nate questioned.

"I have a plan, now get down there! We'll meet up later, and don't come looking for me, I'll be fine!"  
"I sure hope you know what you're doing!" he worriedly responded as they returned to the tower.

I focused on the air around me, commanding it to heat up. Flames sprouted around me, turning the world a navy blue. Gripping my pistol, I jumped toward the wire and used it as a zipline down to the ground; luckily, the main group of enemies was gathered where the other end was attached As I flew, I saw the rain of bullets vaporizing mere inches from my face. Just before reaching the ground, I pulled myself upward, giving me more height before reaching my destination. Raising my fist high above my head, I focused heat into it. A flurry of white and purple flames burst from my hand with enough force I could barely keep my fingers closed. The panicked guards began retreating from where I was about to land. As I slammed into the ground, I ground my fist into the bricks, causing a fiery explosion that vaporized the area around me.

Everything went silent. As I laid in the freshly-formed crater, I felt the air around me cool and the flames disappear. Using my hands to sit up, I tried to stand, but my legs refused to move. I flopped back down in the dirt and stared at the stars.

"The North Star…" I muttered to myself, recalling what we were initially trying to find. Using what Sully had taught me about astronomical navigation, I raised my hand to the sky in an L-shape. Lining my index finger up along the right side of the Big Dipper, I could see the North Star twinkling just above my thumb.

"Bingo."

Taking a few deep breaths, I urged my legs to stand. After shakily rising to my feet, I began following the star.

Climbing over rubble and dapper-suited bodies, I made my way through the castle. The rest of the journey was relatively free of Talbot's men, save for one or two I had to momentarily hide from. I finally arrived at a small flight of stairs. At the top I found three pillars lining a tall wall. The left pillar had a curve facing upwards, similar to a banana sitting on its back. Below it was a darkened upside-down triangle. The left pillar had a circle with a dot in the middle, and below it sat a lightened triangle facing up. The middle pillar contained a mixture of both sets of icons.

As I began analyzing the pillars for clues on how to enter the crypt, I felt a sting on my neck. A hand rested on my right shoulder, and I heard a voice menacingly whisper in my ear.

"Hand me the journal."

I looked over and found Talbot, his right hand outstretched as it awaited the delivery. My hand seemed to move on its own, reaching into my bag and producing the journal, resting it in his hand.

"Don't trust Drake," he muttered before disappearing behind around a corner.

"Lily!" I heard coming up the stairs behind me. It was Chloe.

"We saw you with Talbot. Are you alright?"

My arms shoved Chloe away.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled thoughtlessly. My body was acting on its own as if I were in a dream.

"No one's touching you, love, now please calm down," she continued.

Nate snuck behind me and pricked my neck. I glanced back and saw him holding a dart the length of a quarter.

"The hell…?" he said, shocked.

"Oh, what kind of black ops bullshit is this?" Sully spouted.

"Let's just hope she didn't have a big dose," added Chloe.

The world around me began melting, twisting itself inside-out. Looking up at my friends, their faces began peeling off, revealing the sinuy muscle tendons beneath the skin.

"Easy now. Look at me, Lily. Right here," Nate said calmly as he slowly approached me, his hand outstretched.

"Don't touch me," I heard myself repeat as I flailed my arms toward Nate. "Get away from me," I growled, my finger loosely pointing at him.

"All right, all right," he sighed as he backed away.

"No one's touching you, Lily," assured Chloe.

Sully, his pistol still gripped in his hand, stood there looking at me inquisitively.

"What the hell was in that dart?" he questioned.

"Guys, your faces are peeling off," I said, panicked.

"Well, whatever it was, she's tripping balls," Chloe joked.

I felt my knees starting to give way. As I began falling to the ground, Nate and Sully moved in to catch me.

"Get away from me!" I shouted once more, sharply standing up.

"Lillian, listen, no one's taking you anywhere. Just… just come with us, okay?" Charlie requested.

"We can't stay here, we gotta move," Sully informed the group. "We've gotta find that crypt entrance, and fast. Lily looks like she's not gonna be on her feet for too much longer."

The ground turned to liquid, suffocating my feet, and the sky alternated between day and night faster than the blink of an eye, the moon and sun soaring from horizon to horizon. I bent over clutching my gut, feeling like I was gonna be sick. A blistering wind started blowing through the structure, tearing my skin from my body. I could barely make out murmurs over the howling wind. I glanced up and noticed Nate and Sully pushing a pillar through the wall. Hesitantly, my legs followed everyone inside.

Beyond the entrance sat a wall with a small tunnel going down the middle. Grabbing torches from wall mounts and lighting them, Chloe, Cutter, and Sully made their way through. Once I approached the wall, the crevasse began swaying back and forth. Nate gently guided me through from behind. Reluctantly, my legs carried me. As I made my way through, what seemed like thousands of hands began sprouting from the walls, slithering over my entire being. Each hand had a mouth on it, shouting in another language and spitting blue flames. It became increasingly difficult to breathe as the hands attempted to choke me and the air became thick with azure smoke. I stumbled through an opening at the end and fell to my knees, finally catching my breath.

Kneeling there coughing, I glanced back and saw John where Nate was supposed to be standing.

"I'm disappointed in you, Lillian. You have these powers, yet you continue to pal around with these losers instead of conquering the world! Imagine the peace you could bring if you crushed anyone who opposed you!"

A deep hatred awoke within me. Fueled by a fierce anger, blackish midnight blue flames exploded around me. I stormed toward John, gripping his neck and squeezing the life from it. His soldiers began prying me off, but I easily swatted them away. Another tried threatening me with his revolver, who I also blasted back.

"Lily, stop!" I heard echoing in my mind. As I continued choking John, the stones beneath him began to crumble.

"I'll never stop! I am _not _weak, John, and those people are my friends!" I shouted, squeezing tighter. I raised my fist above my head and began focusing power into it, preparing to obliterate him.

"Please…" the voice said again, faintly this time.

As his eyes began to close, John's arms gently closed around me.

"... we love you…" I heard him say in Nate's voice.

My flames cleared as Nate's limp body laid where John had been.

"... Dad...?" I whispered as tears filled my eyes.

"Dad! Wake up!" I screamed as I shook him by his shirt collar.

"... please…"

"Oh God, no…" Sully uttered as he stood up, dusting himself off.

I bent over him sobbing as sorrow clenched my chest. As I weeped, a cool breeze began swirling around me. A gentle green began emanating from my hands, caressing itself around Nate. His eyes shot open as he leaned up and sharply gasped. Fatigued, he laid back down, continuing to catch his breath. Smiling, he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Try not to get shot with another one of those things, alright, Lil? That really sucked," he said, wheezing out a chuckle.

A quivering smile spread across my face as warm tears continued to stream down my cheeks.

"I thought we'd lost you… I'm so sorry, Dad…" I said as I hugged his tired body.

"Hey, you had no control over it; I don't blame you. Heck, I'd say this backfired against Talbot. Now you've got that sweet new healing power, and those black flames were _terrifying!_"

"Yeah, I guess you're right!" I responded.

"Oh, and… sorry I attacked you guys too. You're not hurt, are you?" I said to the rest of our group.

"Only my pride… and my hip," groaned Sully.

"We're fine too," assured Chloe.

"Oi, don't speak for both of us. I've got this terrible bruise on my knee that won't stop bothering me," complained Charlie.

"Oh, quit crying. You got that on the way here," moaned Chloe.

"Here, help me up. We need to keep going," encouraged Nate.

We made our way through a crack in the wall adjacent to the one we entered through. I was following Sully in when he suddenly stopped.

"Ooh, no, I am not going in front of you. You first," he said, motioning me into the tunnel. His gaze was one of fear and mistrust, similar to the one he gave me when we first met. Once on the other side, we came upon a room dimly lit by nothing more but the torches we'd carried in. As I sauntered into the area, a brick sunk into the floor under my foot. Looking down, I noticed a flame pattern etched into the stone. Surrounding it were several darker stones that almost looked like they were burnt. As the brick began rising again, small torches lining the walls illuminated, revealing three small braziers laid in a triangular pattern around the room filled with bits of wood and leaves. Above each of them hung a large, circular plate of glass framed in gold and held in place by hinges on either side. In the middle of the room sat a giant stone globe floating in a shallow pool of water. To my left was a staircase leading to the second storey, which was nothing more than a slab of stone stuck to the wall. Directly in front of me hung a statue holding the largest lamp, attached to the wall by its torso. Jutting out from the second floor were four stone platforms covered in cracks, begging to crumble. As I scanned the room I noticed a large circular mirror hanging several feet above the globe. Under it hung an ornate piece of wood with several carvings on it.

"Here, I'll take care of this," I offered as I rubbed my hands together in preparation for lighting the braziers.

"Actually, we'll take care of it," Sully said as him, Nate, and Cutter spread through the room lighting the pots ablaze, all the while avoiding eye contact with me. I felt a sharp sting tear through my chest as my friends continued to ignore me.

"It looks like the glass can be angled toward that mirror up there," I suggested, pointing to the ceiling.

"Good idea, Lily. Let's get on it, guys," Nate instructed. He seemed to be the only one able to even look at me.

As the light was directed toward the mirror, it was reflected through the carving below it, illuminating what looked like the outline of a country on the stone planet in front of us.

"Huh," uttered Nate as he walked up to the sphere.

"If I… just move it like _this…_" he grunted as he spun it in the water to match a country with the one being illuminated.

The water empted from below the globe, allowing it to sink into the rounded floor underneath. The room began vibrating as a stone column descended from the ceiling where the mirror and carving were held. A doorway on the side of the column lined up perfectly with the left platform above us. We journeyed through a long twisting tunnel comprised of root-covered dirt until we reached a stone coffin similar to the one we found in France. A statue of a knight with its arms crossed gently over its chest laid flat on top of the casket as if it were guarding it.

Nate and Charlie shoved the stone slab to the ground, sending dust into the air and sent an echoing boom through the caverns. As the dust cleared, I began to make out another skeleton resting in the box. Like its French twin, it clutched one half of the amulet.

"Hey Lil, can I have your journal so I can match the pieces up?" asked Nate has he reached into the coffin.

My hand moved to my pouch to retrieve the requested item when I was reminded of its unfortunate fate.

"...Talbot took that too. Sorry, Dad," I moaned.

"Great, now how will we know where to look?" Charlie sighed irritably. A twinge of guilt knotted my stomach.

"We'll just have to steal it back," shrugged Nate.

"How exactly do we pull that off?" questioned Charlie.

"We'll improvise," said Nate nonchalantly.

As the two bickered, I tucked into my pouch once more, praying the amulet was hidden among my items. A smooth slip of parchment got caught between my fingers as I slid my hand out from my bag. I unfolded it to reveal a smeared sketch of the piece Talbot took from us at the chateau. I tried to recall how the corner ripped when I handed my journal to Talbot.

"Hey guys, check this out!" I exclaimed as I displayed the sketch. "It must've ripped out before I completely fainted!"

"Well I'll be go to hell," chuckled Sully.

"Jokes on them, huh? I knew this would come in handy!" I smiled as I handed it to Nate.

"That's my girl," Nate complimented.

He took the slip and placed the amulet beside the sketch, completing the symbol. He retrieved his journal and studied the amulet carefully as he scribbled in his book.

"There, I got the location. Now let's get out of here before the tour buses arrive," he urged. I watched as he shoved the artifact into his own pouch.

"I'll hold onto to it this time," he winked.

"Good idea," I agreed.

The moment we turned to exit, voices could be heard at the other end of the tunnel.

"Crap, they followed us," Nate complained.

The crypt wall behind the coffin was made of loose stones. I studied the wall for a weak spot while commanding heat to rise in my hand. The crypt began to glow blue from the flames growing from my fist.

"Stand back," I alerted my group as I lifted my fist above my head. The boulders crumbled as my fist crashed through them, revealing a path on top of the outside wall. We were greeted by a beautiful sunrise that painted the citadel a cascade of lavender and peach, and the stuffy cave air was quickly replaced by that of a fresh, warm early morning.

"We need to get going, mates," suggested Charlie as the echoing voices grew louder.

Stumbling over rocks as we began our escape, we made our way outside and back through the normal areas of the castle toward the exit where I could hear the rumbling of diesel bus engines, meaning tourists would soon be here. Luckily, we encountered little resistance on our way there. However, as we rounded the corner to the last hall standing between us and freedom, we came face to face with Talbot and Marlowe, who were accompanied by two heavily armed guards.

"At last, we meet again," Marlowe said in a smooth, menacing tone. "Nathan, you and your bunch have been quite the bit of trouble for us, you know. At least that all ends now. Talbot?" she said, turning to her slick-haired partner.

"Lillian… why don't you show us that little power of yours?"

Without my approval, my hand raised itself in front of me, producing a bright blue flame.

"Now, hold it up to Mr. Drake's head. I want to see him sweat," he instructed, grinning. "Reach into his pouch and toss me the other half of the amulet." he demanded.

My hand drifted over to Nate's head, hovering mere inches from his face. My other hand wandered into his bag, gripping the artifact and tossing it to my puppeteer.

"What is this, what are you doing?!" I questioned.

"It takes at least twenty-four hours for our serum to leave your system. Although you've regained consciousness, you're still… impressionable, shall we say," Talbot responded. "Although I must thank you, Lillian. You've been most helpful. Also, I see you left Mr. Drake with a souvenir?" Talbot said, pointing to Nate's neck. Forcing my head to turn, I examined the area he was pointing to and found dark bruises where I had been choking him. My heart sunk.

"That… that was you! You were controlling me!" I shouted.

"Ah, yes, but none of us were in that cave with you, now were we?" he harassed.

"Oi, leave the girl alone! Haven't you done enough to her?!" exclaimed Charlie.

"Quiet, Cutter," directed Marlowe. "Now, Lillian, we're not going to order you to melt away your little friend; instead, we're letting you choose. Join us, the ones who are clearly winning in this game, or stay with your pals and perish. I do hope you don't disappoint us twice," she grinned.

"I've already chosen!" I yelled, whipping my hand sideways, sending out a wave of blue flame which eradicated the guards on either side of our adversaries who had ducked below the attack.

"Shame. Nothing more than a disappointment, just like your father,"

"John's not my father! I'm nothing like him!" I shrieked, flames pouring from my entire body. As I began sprinting at them, they walked behind a small brick wall, out of sight. By the time I got there, they had disappeared, despite the only thing there being a wall.

"Dammit!" I shouted, clenching my fists.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We know where to go in Yemen; we can stop 'em there," Nate reassured, walking up behind me and placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Dad, don't touch me, your hand-!"

"I can't feel the heat. I think part of your power got transferred to me when you healed me. Your flames can't hurt me," he smiled. "Now, let's get outta here before we have to explain all this to anyone."

We hurried down the hall and through the tall wood doors we had entered through. "I'd skip the tour, folks, not worth the price of admission!" Chloe shouted to the crowd of tourists as we walked briskly to the run-down bus. I heaved a sigh of relief as I climbed on board and flopped into a surprisingly comfortable seat. The driver turned the keys, bringing life to the now roaring engine and began driving us away from the citadel. I watched out the window as it disappeared in the distance; I certainly wasn't willing to visit there again anytime soon.


	5. Guilt

We stumbled off the bus a few blocks from our hotel. My feet stung with every step as I longed to collapse on the cozy bed.

"That was a close one," sighed Chloe as we shuffled through the hotel lobby, which like a gem in the dirt, was clean, bright, and nicely decorated.

"You can say that again," Nate agreed.

"I'm not joking, Nate. Really, that was way too close, you almost died, and Lily almost killed the rest of us after getting injected with hallucinogen. Are you sure this is worth it?" she questioned. Everyone glanced back at her.

"I hate to say it, but Chloe's right, and don't assume they won't try controlling her again. Be a good dad and keep your daughter safe, mate," included Cutter.

I could sense the tension in the air thicken so I decided to intervene.

"Guys, fighting each other isn't going to solve anything. We're all tired and on edge; how about we get some rest and talk about it later?"

"If we plan on beating them to Yemen, we don't have time to rest," interjected Nate.

"I don't think Talbot's smart enough to decipher the clues in my journal, let alone read my handwriting," I assured.

"I'd rather not chance it," said Nate.

Chloe lowered her head in disappointment.

"So what's the plan here?" questioned Sully.

"We can stop in our hotel room for about an hour so we can eat and shower, then we'll head to Yemen. Sound good?" said Nate addressing to Sully and I.

"Absolutely. I need to wash all this grime off anyway," nodded Sully.

"Same here," I added.

"The only thing left to figure out is how we can actually get into Yemen…" Nate pondered out loud.

"I know someone we can call," suggested Sully.

Nate's eyes widened with fear.

"Oh no no no, not her," he rejected.

"If you have a better idea, I'm all ears."

I held back a smile after realizing Sully was speaking of Elena. Nate stared at the ceiling as he mumbled to himself, apparently scouring his mind for any alternatives.

"... fine, make the call," he sighed in defeat.

We began making our way to our hotel rooms. Taking the elevator, which was still foreign to me, we arrived on the third floor. Strutting down the thickly carpeted hallway, we arrived at room 313.

"Chloe, Cutter, since you won't be joining us, your room is on the other side from ours. I already paid for the night, so feel free to relax as much as you want," Sully informed.

"Nate… I think you're being unbelievably stupid, but please, be safe. Same goes for you two," Chloe pleaded, motioning to us.

"We'll be fine, you worry to much," Nate smiled. "You know me, I always end up on top."

"You sure do," she smirked. Hugging the three of us, she disappeared into the room adjacent from ours.

"Good luck, chaps," Charlie said, giving a wave and a doleful smile. As he closed the door, we glanced at each other, sighed, and opened the door to our room.

"You guys rest up while I arrange our flight," said Sully.

"I need a shower; I probably smell worse than that supply closet we hid in," I joked as I playfully jabbed Sully with my elbow.

I expected a quip from him but instead received a piercing glare, causing me to jump back in shock.

"Take as long as you need in there. I'm gonna chat with Sully before he makes any calls," Nate said. With a tired smile, I gave a nod in hopes of hiding the sting Sully's glance gave me.

Our place was a two bedroom suite. I was greeted by a living room furnished with a fold-out striped couch and a wide screen television mounted to the wall adjacent from the couch. Along the wall next to the couch sat a quaint chair draped in the same texture. Tucked in the corner between the seats was a petite table topped by a sizable lamp which illuminated most of the room in a warm glow. Further into the area was a narrow kitchen leading to the back room where two double beds laid. Nate plopped onto the couch and dropped his head into a comfortable position. His bruises shone next to the lamp's bright light.

Forcing myself to look way, I grabbed some lounging clothes from my meager suitcase and headed to the bathroom. "I'm… going to get a shower," I mumbled to Nate. Once inside, I pressed against the door to catch my breath. I dazedly prepared to wash as I recalled the morning's events. The moment water rained into the tub, I heard the door open from the bedroom, followed by mumbling outside.

"I told you bringing her along will bite you in the ass one day, kid," Sully grunted.

"Would you give it a rest? She had no control over what she was doing, and you know that," asserted Nate defensively.

"Conscious or not, I know a killer when I see one," Sully huffed.

"She was _drugged_! How can you say that everything we've been through?!" Nate snapped.

"Nate, she has enough power to destroy an entire lost city, so excuse me if I think a tiny dart making her lose all semblance of control is bullshit."

"She needs guidance, Sully! I'm not going to abandon her, especially now. Like it or not, she's coming with us."

"I'm not asking you to drop her, I just want you to be cautious!" Sully sighed.

I fought back tears as I realized my efforts to win Sully's trust were destroyed so easily. Pondering what could be done to regain his good will and not wishing to hear another word, I stepped into the tub and allowed the heat of the shower ease my tight muscles.

Once finishing my shower, I donned my lounging clothes and sauntered to the bed, collapsing onto the warm sheets. A wave of guilt hovered over me as I laid there. I noticed an unusual silence fill the air; I figured Sully had left.

"He went to smoke a cigar, he'll be back in a bit," Nate announced as he entered the room.

My eyes panned to the harsh bruises on Nate's neck.

"How's…?" I inquired in a shaken voice as I circled my finger at Nate's injuries.

"A bit tender but nothing I can't walk away from. I've been through worse," he smiled.

Words escaped me as I sat there staring at the wall, tears starting to fill my eyes.

"I can tell you're blaming yourself for this… please don't, it wasn't your fault. None of us saw the sniper, and we couldn't do anything to stop it."

"But… I overheard Sully calling me a killer. Think of all the people I've killed Dad. It was only a matter of time until I hurt you."

"Lily, that wasn't you who attacked me, but it _was you_ who brought me back, and forget what Sully said. You only fight when you need to protect us or yourself, and that's nowhere near my definition of killer. Lillian, you're a healer, and don't you dare believe anything different."

I burst into tears as I embraced my father, who held me until the flow of sadness ended.

"I think I'm gonna take a nap," I said in a raspy, broken voice.

"I'll grab a shower while you do that, I feel nasty," Nate joked. "We can head out once Sully gets back."

Moments after drifting to sleep, I heard the door clack closed.

Clearing his throat, Sully announced "I'm back, you two ready?"

"Sure, give us a sec to gather our stuff. Let's get goin', Lil," Nate responded.

Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I changed into a clean set of regular clothes and collected my belongings.

"I'm definitely sleeping on the ride over," I mused.

Looking back as he held the door for us, I noticed the slightest sorrowful smile peek from Sully's face. Glancing at Nate, he snuck me a wink.

"We'll talk later," he smiled.

Hurrying to the plane, we set off to continue our adventure.


	6. Tension

Nightmarish visions of Syria tormented me while trying to sleep on the plane ride to Yemen. Even the peaceful hum of the engine wasn't enough to ease the haunting demons. I'd wake to find Nate giving me a concerned look. I caught Sully eyeing me from the other side of the isle, sharing his row with complete strangers who were snoring loudly.

To pass the time, I suggested going over our notes to find clues we might've missed that might aid us in our search. With a tired nod, Nate reached into his carry-on to retrieve his journal. He flipped down the tray attached to the seat in front of him and spread out his book. A small picture slipped from between the pages and landed in my lap. Flipping it over, I discovered it to be a photo of Elena. The pain from exhaustion temporarily subsided as I absorbed the glow of her radiant smile.

"It'll be nice to see her again," I grinned, handing it back to Nate.

"Y-yeah," Nate stuttered as he buried his face deeper into the pages.

"We haven't seen her in what, six months?" I guessed.

"Something like that," Nate agreed nervously.

"Maybe we can go home with her once this is done," I suggested.

"After what I did, I don't know know if she'll want me back," said Nate as he rubbed the spot on his hand where a wedding ring once was.

"Dad, Elena _loves_ you. She'll do anything to make this work."

"I don't know, Lil. It's not that simple," Nate rebuked.

"Dad…" I sighed.

Nate was a lot like me when it came to hiding his personal problems. He didn't want to burden me with his issues but I knew what was going on between them. He sprung the trip and kept me busy so I wouldn't interrogate him on his odd behavior.

"I wouldn't dwell on it; I'm sure Elena will listen," I encouraged. Nate's apologetic expression warned me to drop the subject.

In the moments that followed, the plane started to descend toward the runway. The blazing Sun blinded me as I stepped out of the plane and descended the steps leading to the tarmac. Small highways leading from the airport stretched into the sandy mountains and over the horizon. I could see other planes taking off and landing on the other runways down the row.

As we hurried to the baggage claim at the base of the plane, I spotted a friendly face leaning against a rental car by the terminal. Elena waved the moment she saw me. I swung my bag over my shoulder as I sprinted to Elena, leaving Nate and Sully to deal with our heavy load.

"Elena, it's so great to see you!" I exclaimed as we embraced.

"Likewise, Lily!" she smiled.

I tried to recall the last time I saw her. We fell out of touch during my travels with Nate.

"Hello, Elena," Sully greeted as he and Nate approached us, hauling the remaining luggage.

"Hey Sully, have you been keeping these two out of trouble?" she teased.

"You expect these two to get in trouble? Nonsense," smiled Sully sarcastically.

As the two engaged in conversation, Nate held back and loaded the car. From time to time he'd glance over as if he was waiting for her to pounce.

"Are you three on another adventure again? I shouldn't be worried, right?" asked Elena. I panned to Nate with panic contorting my face, seeking instruction. He swiped his finger across his throat, encouraging me to lie. My palms became sweaty as I hurried to find an answer.

"We're here for historical research!" I shouted nervously. Sully winced at the loud, unconvincing lie.

"What's with the shouting?" Sully grunted.

"My ears are still ringing from the plane," I explained while trying to control the quiver in my voice.

I could tell my body language was ruining the charade.

"I'm taking Lily on a father-daughter research trip and our stop happened to be here," Nate intervened. Elena raised an unbelieving eyebrow at me. I gave her my best smile as she tried to pry the truth from Nate.

"No cursed treasure?" she asked.

"Nope," Nate replied.

"No psychopathic warlords?"

"Nah," he shook his head.

"You Drakes are always up to something. Why would this time be any different?" she said, eyeing Nate as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Honestly, Elena, it's nothing you need to worry about. Like I said on the phone, there are some ruins these two want to scavenge for a certain client," Sully added.

I turned to my partner, stunned by the sudden remark.

"Alright, if you say so," sighed Elena with a shrug.

She reached into her back pocket to retrieve security badges. I cringed at my photo printed at the corner of the card. My wavy hair flowed to my shoulders as a pair of thick lopsided glasses rested on my nose. The expression on my face reflected the horrible day this photo was taken. My fake name along with other falsified details were typed adjacent to the picture.

"These will get you across most checkpoints," said Elena once everyone acquired theirs.

"Thanks Elena, you're the best," I complimented.

"I know," she winked.

The four of us piled into the car with Elena at the wheel.

"You can drop us off at the edge of the city," Sully suggested.

"I'm responsible for you three, so I won't mind escorting you to the ruins myself," Elena offered.

I glanced at Nate to find him rolling his eyes. We strolled down an empty highway where desert stretched for miles on either side.

"How are things with you and Maddie, Lil?" questioned Elena to break the silence.

Maddie was my girlfriend who I met while doing odd jobs. She's a treasure hunter from England and had been doing similar work in that area of Turkey for a few months. A few of our clients were acquainted, so we bumped into each other fairly often.

"Fantastic! I haven't seen her in a while, but last I heard she raided temples in China," I explained with a dorky grin.

"Good for her. We'll have to invite her to dinner once you guys get back," Elena offered.

I turned to Nate, my face struck with guilt. We've been on the road so long, the idea of home was becoming foreign to me. Nate always avoided the subject.

"I'm sure she'll love that. She misses you guys," I smiled to hide my gloom.

Eventually the road became nothing more than thinned dirt. It continued on for another couple miles before ending at a small city where we continued on foot. My boots became coated in dust as we followed Elena through the streets of the city.

"If you want to follow Drake's trail, you'll want to head to the older part of the city," Elena explained.

"Lead the way," encouraged Sully.

We twisted through the large crowds of locals and tourists. I always enjoyed marketplaces, their aesthetics brought me peace. Our personal tour was interrupted by an iron gate guarded by two men engaged in conversation.

"Hold on, I'll see if they'll let us through," Elena said, motioning us to wait. She walked over to the guards and began speaking to them in the local language.

"Hey Nate," Sully whispered. "She's still wearing it," pointing to the ring on Elena's left hand.

"It helps in this part of the world," I interjected. "I read something about it keeping the creeps away."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all it is," snidely replied Nate.

Elena came sauntering back, looking disappointed. "No dice. We'll have to find another way around," she announced. "Come on, I think I know a way," she said, waving her hand for us to follow.

Cutting down a dusty alley, we came upon an aged ladder attached to the wall of a tall building.

"If we get on the roof we can at least get a better view of the city," informed Elena. "Hopefully we'll be able to use that vantage point to find the area we're looking for."

The ladder creaked as we ascended to the top of the building; I was worried it would crumble under our weight before we could reach the roof. Finally arriving at the ladder's peak, we were greeted by a sweeping landscape of the city. It was a clear day with relatively little wind, so the sand was calm, allowing us to see miles into the distance, our gaze only being stopped by the mountains along the horizon.

After scanning the city for a moment, Elena lifted her finger toward a group of particularly old-looking structures.

"There," she said. "Those buildings would have been antiques even in Drake's time."

"Alright, then that's where we've gotta g-" Nate said, his sentence being broken off as he became distracted by Talbot walking toward our new destination while flipping through the pages of my journal.

"Huh, I guess he actually deciphered my chicken scratch handwriting," I quipped.

"Hold on, what's this about a journal?" Elena asked, a note of disapproval attached to her question.

"Uhh…" I replied in hesitation.

"I've gotta go. You guys catch up later," said Nate hurriedly as he backed toward the edge of the building. After almost tripping over a table, he jumped between rooftops in pursuit of our enemy.

Sully raised a finger as he prepared to explain, but just smiled and shook his head. Elena gave Sully a look of criticism but had no reply. We rushed back to ground level and began chasing after Nate and Talbot. We were barely able to keep them in sight as we rushed through the streets, dancing between concessions and patrons.

"Hold it right there!" one of Talbot's goons shouted as he and his cohort rounded a corner, their weapons drawn. Sully and I tackled through the blockade, knocking them to the ground as we continued running.

"You guys have got a _lot_ of explaining to do," huffed Elena.

"Tell that to Nate!" panted Sully, obviously tiring from so much running.

Talbot ran around the corner of a building, with Nate following shortly after.

"There, we've almost got 'em!" I shouted. "Hurry!"

As we turned the corner, we were met by an expansive marketplace. Merchants selling everything from rugs to gold jars lined the sides, with the middle being filled with fruit, meat, and fish vendors. Just as Talbot reached the other side of the area, his men flooded through the adjacent entrance, their arrival causing the shoppers to flee behind us.

"Just as planned," Talbot chuckled.

"Get down!" shouted Sully.

The three of us dove behind the food stalls as a deluge of ammunition rushed above us. I peeked around our cover to make sure Nate was alright; thankfully he was able to dive behind another stand before the shooting started.

"Everyone, stay down!" I shouted.

"What, why-" Elena started to ask, but her sentence fell short as I summoned fire around me. As I stood, Talbot's thugs focused their fire on me, the bullets vaporizing into a fine dust as they failed to pierce my defenses.

"Stay away from my family!" I shouted as I thrust my hands toward, sending a cascade of flames hurtling toward our enemies. The fire blasted the goons back into the wall, charring the bricks burning their bodies.

A moment of silence fell. Talbot had disappeared, but the fighting was over for now.

"What… the hell… was _that?_" Elena gasped.

"Remember that sap from the Tree of Life? Lazarević tossed me into it and I accidentally drank some of it. Apparently it works differently with kids, because instead of turning into a monster, I got powers similar to what I've read about in comics. Neat… huh?" I explained sheepishly.

Elena stood there staring at me, her expression blank.

"I… uh… it's gonna take some time to process this; we should keep moving. You okay over there, Nate?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! Nice save there, Lil. Oh, and check out what Talbot dropped while we were running!"

Nate pulled my journal from his pouch and handed it to me. I flipped through to make sure no further damage had befallen it. Luckily the only damage was from the page I had ripped out earlier to keep it safe from Talbot. We resumed travelling to the old part of the city.

"Can someone fill me in? What's going on and why did this…" Elena paused, trying to find a name.

"Talbot," I added.

"Right; why did Talbot have Lily's journal?" she interrogated.

"We had a run in with him back in Syria," Sully explained.

"He took it when I blacked out," I added hesitantly.

Elena's eyes struck with fear.

"Blacked out?"

"Talbot and his group have these darts that uh… drug you, and make you hallucinate. They also make you extremely violent towards people you would normally never hurt. Don't worry, nothing bad happened," I explained reluctantly.

"Nate, this is exactly why I said you shouldn't bring Lily on jobs like this while we were back in Nepal!" she shouted. "Never mind, there's nothing we can do about it now, so tell me exactly what you're looking for," Elena demanded.

"Um… this," said Nate, gesturing to a large stone well topped with an iron gate. A star was painted underneath, similar to one of my sketches.

"Well, well, well," Sully commented.

"Hah, I get it, 'cause it's a well," Nate responded sarcastically. "I'm guessing this is gonna be our secret entrance. What would we do without you, Elena?" he smiled.

"That's our girl," Sully complimented, patting Elena's shoulder proudly.

"Lil, can I see your journal for a sec?" requested Nate.

"Sure," I said, handing him the book. He flipped through the faded pages, searching for the page containing details of our current location and placed it on the side of the well, revealing two pages filled with drawings. One page contained a morbid sketch of a man impaling another with a ritual blade, while the other was scribbled with a doodle of a star that matched the one on the ground; I had come across them while reading Lawrence's notes.

Sully glanced into the labyrinth below.

"We're not going down there without some hardware," he concluded.

"Why don't you talk to that rug merchant we just passed?" suggested Elena.

"No, I mean guns, weapons," clarified Sully.

"He's not _really_ a rug merchant," she smirked.

"Oh… right," he nodded as realization reflected in his eyes. Sully panned to me as he headed for the door.

"Wanna come? I could use an extra hand."

"S-sure," I stuttered, surprised by the offer.

Nate exchanged a worried glance as I followed Sully to the door. I returned an apologetic shrug.

I pressed my back against the door once we were alone, releasing a long sigh.

"I think we dodged a bullet on that one," I joked as I wiped the sweat from my brow.

"No kiddin, I think I saw a vein pop from Elena's forehead," Sully chuckled.

Despite our tease, Sully's body shuffled anxiously like he was still cautious of me. A familiar sadness hovered over me as we headed to retrieve our weapons. Sully lead the way as if he was avoiding eye contact.

"Hey Sully, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked, wanting to break the tension.

"Shoot," he nodded.

"I never got to apologize for what happened in Syria… I was being controlled by Talbot's toxin. I didn't mean to hurt you or Nate; you guys are my family."

"I know, kid." He paused a moment, running his finger across his bushy mustache. "I should apologize too. I guess I have trouble trusting people… always have. We met because you stole Nate's wallet, and you attacking us must've reawakened that mistrust. I'm sorry," his eyes panned to the ground as he said this.

"I wouldn't blame you for being cautious. I'm a bit scared too; I don't fully understand these powers yet," I chuckled humorlessly.

"Those black flames were pretty terrifying," Sully agreed.

My eyes became misty, thankful my years of effort winning Sully over weren't wasted.

We were nearing a stand covered with thick, intricate rugs. A man wrapped with traditional Yemeni clothing attended the stand, conversing with a customer. Sully moved his arm in front of me as we approached.

"Do you speak Arabic?" he questioned.

"Elena taught me a few phrases," I offered.

When I first moved in with Nate, Elena taught me a few languages she deemed worth knowing; Arabic happened to be in the set she had me practice.

"Go for it, kid," he encouraged after the customer left.

"Excuse me, your client Elena Fisher sent us," I explained in their language.

The moment I mentioned her, the merchant nodded and gestured for us to enter the stand through a small opening on the side of the counter.

"Nice work," Sully complimented.

"Thanks, gramps," I grinned.

We walked behind the backdrop of his stand and scurried to a back room hidden away behind an old building. The floor and consisted of dirty, cracked concrete, with the ceiling being assembled of old, dry wood. Lining the walls were rugs rolled up and tucked into plastic sleeves. Above them hung freshly-made carpets that were allowing their dye to dry. An extravagant loom sat in the corner midway through a carpet the shop owner was weaving.

The shop owner led us to a closet door in the back right corner of the room. Within the closet sat a curved antique trunk. As he opened the lid, my eyes lit up as a pile of assorted guns was revealed within. I grew up having a fascination with guns as I followed Nate on his travels. Naturally, I had a wide range of knowledge regarding these weapons, ranging from how they work to the various subtypes of pistols and rifles. I even spotted my favorite pistol among the choices: a Glock 43. This particular model's slide and magazine plate were colored tan, similar to the general color of the city.

"Choose any you like, free of charge; Fisher's one of my best clients," the merchant offered.

"Thank you," I smiled.

Knowing Nate's preferences, I searched for one I knew he'd like. My hand reached for an M3 shotgun and I observed its condition. It was weighed evenly and the trigger was snug. With an approving nod, I tucked the shotgun under my arm and snagged the pistol for myself.

Sully and I stocked up on ammo and made sure our weapons were securely hidden, then hurried back to the well. Once inside, Nate and Elena backed away abruptly as if we interrupted a serious conversation. Nate's eyes panned to the shotgun I revealed.

"Big gun…" I said as I raised the M3 up.

"… make big boom." I tossed it to Nate, who expertly snatched it from the air.

"A shotgun, huh?" smirked Nate as he checked the weapon.

"I know your tastes," I winked.

I noticed Elena watching us with sadness reflecting from her eyes. She always kept my best interests in mind, trying to provide the life she thought I wanted. I recall multiple occasions when she approached Nate on the subject.

Glancing over the ledge, I found a rusty ladder descending into a sand filled chamber.

"I'll go first," I offered and crept down into the pit.

My eyes struggled to adjust to the lighting of the room, which relied only on what came through the windows in the building above. I kicked the lock keeping the ladder extension in place, but it was stuck in its from years of abandonment, forcing me to jump from my perch.

With a loud thump, I landed on a thick pile of sand. The musty air made it difficult to breathe as I searched the room for any unwanted visitors who may have gotten here before us. Once I deemed the coast was clear, I began examining the rest of the area. Large stone pillars were scattered about with holes on either side. The sandstone walls were covered with ancient Arabic carvings.

"Alright guys, come on down! Watch your step!" I announced.

Everyone else descended the same route as me. Sully, the last one down, stumbled slightly upon landing, rubbing his hip as he began examining the well.

"Hurt your hip, grandpa?" I chived.

"Don't call me that," he snipped sarcastically, to which I responded with a smile.

"This is just a cistern, kid. Are you sure we're in the right place?" Sully questioned Nate.

"Y-yeah, it has to be," said Nate as he observed the chamber.

"So what was Sir Francis doing here anyway?" inquired Elena as we scoured for clues.

"He was on a secret expedition for Queen Elizabeth," Nate explained.

"To find the lost City of Ubar, the Atlantis in the Sands," I added.

"Under this city?" asked Elena.

"No, somewhere in the middle of the Rub' al Khali desert," Nate replied.

"… and this place is supposed to tell you how to find it," said Sully.

Nate stood in the middle of the chamber, deep in thought.

"This place looks familiar, I think Drake sketched it on the back of his map," he pondered out loud.

He reached into his back pouch and produced an aged parchment. On it was a rough scribble matching the layout of the cistern; three of the pillars had a certain hole circled. A doodle of a moon and star was enclosed in a square tucked away in the bottom left corner. On the ground of the cistern were carvings of shapes similar to the one on the parchment.

"Check out this square; it matches up exactly to the carvings in here," I announced after analyzing the paper for a moment..

"Good eye, it may help us figure this out," Nate added, pointed to Drake's notes.

My eyes panned to the ground, hurriedly scanning for clues. Beneath the dust I noticed a carving on the adjacent corner of the room. Running over to it, I brushed the dust aside, revealing the carving of a moon. I stood on it and faced the room, noticing a familiar sight.

"Hey Dad, can I see that paper a sec?" I asked Nate, beckoning for the parchment.

"Sure," he responded as he handed it to me.

"Bingo!" I shouted, breathing a sigh of relief. "Dad, you go to the one on the left of that far pillar, Elena, you go to the right of the middle one, and Sully, you pull the left side of the one to my right," I instructed.

Nate slid his arm inside. His face grimaced as if he gripped something disgusting.

"Eugh, there's something in here I think we have to pull, but it's all… fuzzy," he stated in a repulsive tone. "We'll have to pull them all at the same time."

Elena and Sully stared at Nate as they hesitated to follow his suggestion.

"Well? You guys have any other ideas?" he said with a smirk.

"You'd better be right about this, kid. I like this arm, I use it all the time," Sully warned as he slid his arm into the narrow space in his assigned pillar.

"We'll pull at the same time on three. One, two… three," said Nate as he closed his eyes and yanked on the device within.

A loud clanking sound echoed throughout the cistern and a large stone door opened itself in the wall nearest Elena. I felt butterflies as we entered the next chamber.

After brief walk down a hallway, we were greeted by several shallow, bone-dry canals surrounding a slightly raised circular platform. Three more hallways dotted the wall across from us. The middle one was barricaded by two statues of men wearing ancient armor, crossing their spears. The other two sat menacingly opened, enticing us to explore.

"Guess we have to earn our way through," Sully concluded.

"Let's try the left one," Nate suggested as we followed him inside.

"What are the chances of us walking into a death trap?" Elena whispered to me.

"Oh, about par for the course," I assumed.

"... great," Elena said in a slightly frightened manner.

The next room we entered was very messy. Gears were strewn about the room; some had four dots on them, while the rest were emblazoned with a plus. The wall in front of us had posts jutting out from it, on some of which rested more gears. Next to the posts rested a metal lever, rusted from years of disuse. The rest of the room looked rather unfinished, being comprised of dirt floors and rock walls. Overhead was a small wooden chute running to the central room. Nate and I placed gears onto the posts, alternating icons. After placing the final gear and pulling the lever, we heard the clanging of moving metal beyond the walls, causing water to begin rushing down the chute and out of the room.

"Hey, I think I just heard the other door open," I informed everyone. "Let's go check it out."

Upon returning to the central cavern, my suspicions were verified; the door opposite the one we just left had creaked into the floor, leaving a pile of dust on either side of the hole it descended into. The canal next to the first room was now flowing with water, which gave off a soft glimmer as it reflected the torches lighting the room.

Entering the second room, we were greeted by a short stairwell, leading down to a checkerboard marble floor dotted with several small round inserts. Between each insert was a tall pole topped by metallic body parts. In the middle of the room stood a pole holding a flambeau on top. On the wall ahead was a carving of two men. One laid on the ground, injured. The other stood above, a spear held high above his head ready to strike down the injured man. In front of us was a steep, long staircase. My journal contained a similar image.

"That looks familiar," I analyzed as I reached into my pouch to show Nate.

"Hey, you're right!" he exclaimed, holding it up to match it against the room. He walked down and started looking around.

"It looks like you can light that torch and use it to line up the shadows of the body parts!" I called down to him.

"Good idea! Could someone toss me a lighter so I can light this torch?" he requested.

Sully began pulling one from his pocket, but I raised a hand to stop him."Just a sec, Sully; there's something I've been wanting to try," I said.

I held out my hand in the form of a gun and focused on the tip of my finger. Slowly, a small blue flame began burning on it. Taking aim at the tip of the torch, I imagined the sensation of flinging a rubber band. The flame shot from my finger and struck the flambeau, igniting it with a bright royal blue scattering sparks to the floor.

"Holy crap, Lily, that was amazing!" Nate exclaimed as he pulled the torch from the floor, causing the stairs to retract into the wall.

"... huh. Guess I'll have to solve this to get outta here," Nate indicated. He began wandering around the room, searching for the correct placement for the pole.

Sully leaned toward me, grinning. "So, if I get you some binoculars, do ya think you'd be able to snipe with that finger thing ya just did?" he joked.

"I'm not sure it'll go quite that far, but I'm always willing to try!" I smiled in return.

"So Lily, how hard was it to learn how to control that power of yours?" questioned Elena cautiously.

"It was pretty tough. At first I couldn't use it without exhausting my entire body, and a lot of stuff was done subconsciously. I barely remember fighting Lazarević, and I would have been crushed by the burning building in France had I not been able to put a shield up."

Her eyes grew a bit wider at my mention of the chateau; I'd guessed Nate hadn't told her about that yet. She didn't say anything, so I continued my explanation.

"My attacks were also basically just blasting stuff with fire, but that wasted my energy and was far too dangerous for the people around me; I don't want to hurt any of you, so I decided to practice being more accurate and conservative with my powers. Thus, what you just saw. I'll be experimenting with that a bit more to see if I can make some other moves out of it."

"I see. Ya know, you're kinda like a comic book superhero now. I was really shocked at first, but it's really cool, now I'm used to it."

I was relieved to hear Elena approved of my strength. Her words dissolved any worry about hurting those I love.

As Nate carried the flame to the right corner of the room, he sunk it into one of the many holes. I heard a clunk similar to the one from the previous room. The light cast a shadow against the wall in the exact shape of the warriors. Each suspended limb moved in just a way to animate the scene as the dark spear pierced the chest of the man on the ground. As the shadow spear fell, the victim on the wall went limp and water started flowing from where it stabbed. The water began flowing into a canal in the floor, which went under the wall to the right of the entrance. The stairs jutted back out from the wall, allowing Nate to rejoin our party.

"Good job, Dad!" I congratulated Nate, patting him on the back.

"Nice shootin', Tex!" he said with a wink and making the motion of firing finger guns at me.

We returned to the center room. The canal next to the tunnel we exited was also filled by the time we got there and was flowing under the center platform. The metal statues were now standing straight, their spears at their sides, granting passage into the center tunnel. As we descended the dark corridor, I couldn't help wonder what we would be greeted by next.


	7. Reflect

The tunnel seemed to be limitless as it narrowed the further in we went; we had to travel single-file for the last few minutes just before the right wall dropped off to a dark, danker cavern. Torches lined the middle of the ceiling, their light cascading off thick cobwebs coating the area. The walls were coated by rows of menacing, eroded statues. The path at this point was made of mere rocks and rickety bridges.

"Let me ask you you guys this; did Francis Drake find that lost city he was looking for?" questioned Elena as we traversed the cave.

"Don't think so, it seems like he only came this far, then returned home," Nate replied.

"...and concealed everything about this little detour?"

"That's right," Nate nodded.

"Have you guys ever stopped to ask why?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, this whole place seems like… a warning to me," Elena glance at me as she finished, like it was an unspoken concern for my safety. Ever since our time in Nepal, Elena's been on Nate about bringing me into dangerous situations.

The group toured the cave in tense silence. I could hear water droplets echoing throughout the cave. We were approaching a golden gateway illuminated by a warm glow. Nate reached for a nearby torch as we entered. We came across an ornate brazier placed in the center of a dark room. On top of it was a machine similar to those seen in steampunk art. Nate slid the torch into the basin and it blazed to life and initiated the machine stored above. We watched as the gears clicked into place and a bright light seeped through a variety of holes covering its top. Our eyes panned to the ceiling where we found an imitation of the night sky.

"As above…" Nate began.

"... so below," I finished as I dropped my head to find a carved map of the Rub' al Khali desert.

"Sully, this is some kind of celestial map," Nate announced.

"The Arabs used to travel the desert with the stars at night, so I'd say you're right," said Sully with a nod of approval.

"Do you think you can memorize this Sully?" asked Dad.

"Sure, but shouldn't we write it down?" Sully suggested.

"I think that would be a bad idea; don't forget what happened with the last time we wrote something down," said Nate.

I solemnly recalled my mistakes in Syria as I craned my neck to memorize the coordinates using the skills Sully had learned during his time in the Navy.

"I have it memorized too, Dad. Just in case," I winked.

"That's my girl," Nate smiled as he ruffled my hair.

"Guys, check this out," called Elena. I twisted my head to find a morbid carving of contorted, agonized faces.

"Whoever made this has a strange taste in art," I cringed.

"I wouldn't want this hanging up at my place," Elena joked.

Suddenly, a familiar sound of squeaking erupted from behind the carving. Spiders like the ones we encountered in Paris began spilling from the carvings' eyes and filled the chamber instantly.

"Stay within the light!" Nate shouted as he took a protective stance in front of Elena and I. Sully reached for his gun and began firing at the creatures; the explosive sound shook the cave and caused my ears to ring. I reached for Nate's wrist as the spiders drew closer and our only source of light began to fade.

"Dad, the torch!" I shrieked.

"We need to get outta here!" he shouted.

We sprinted toward the exit, the scurrying legs of the spiders behind us sounding like rushing

water as they pursued us. As we ran, I could see the door closing, the sliver of light coming from the outside shrinking at an alarming rate.

"I'll get through that door and open it from the other side!" yelled Elena. She rushed forward and slid under the door just before it sealed shut. We could go no further before Elena managed to release us from the dark prison; Sully and Nate battled the spiders and I tried prying open the door, however it wouldn't budge. Nate's torch went out and the spiders began advancing.

"Shit! Lily, we could use your help here!" called out Nate.

"You got it!"

I placed my hands together as if holding a ball. Focusing on the area between them, a sphere of flame began to grow. The glowing blue light managed to chase off the smaller spiders, but the larger ones continued approaching, which Sully was able to blast with the last few shots of his gun.

"I'm out!" he called.

I thrust the ball forward. It shot through the cavern, blazing the walls as it traveled passed. When it hit the wall of the other side of the cavern, it exploded into a blinding blue light, vaporizing everything on that side. The room went silent.

After moments of quiet broken only by the sound of our exhausted breathing, the door began cranking down. We clambered into the central chamber, thirsty for light. Once we returned to safety the gate started closing once more.

As the door slammed shut, I collapsed to my knee to regain my strength.

"I hate those damn things," Sully grunted.

"Me too. I thought we left them back in Paris," I whined.

"You've seen those things before? You were planning on telling me, right?" Elena gasped.

"It just… never came up in conversation," I said.

Elena's hardened expression warned me she had no times for poor excuses.

"Alright guys, let's get going," Nate encouraged, breaking the awkward exchange.

"You're not seriously still chasing this thing?" questioned Elena.

"Uh… yeah," Nate replied, seemingly confused at Elena's rejection of the notion.

"Why are you two so obsessed with finding it? What are you trying to prove?"

I recalled the night Chloe asked Nate the exact same question. I started to wonder if this would be a common occurrence.

Nate stood staring at Elena, speechless.

"If this place convinced Drake, why isn't it enough for you? You've outsmarted her!"

"I don't like quitting while I'm ahead," said Nate harshly as he stomped away.

A knot in my stomach tightened as he turned his back on us.

"Dad, she's right. Why don't we slow down and talk about this?" I suggested.

"We don't have time to stand around talking. If we're gonna beat Marlowe, we've gotta keep going," Nate reminded me.

"We never have time," I mumbled as I hurried away.

Elena's interrogation lingered as we left the cistern. The everyday excitement easily distracted me from what's important: our family. I'd never considered the possibility of what most consider a normal life, despite the emptiness I felt after every adventure.

Nate walked silently beside me as we entered through the first chamber we arrived in. There were times I caught Nate staring at me as if he had something to say, but he never initiated a conversation.

We finally returned to the well we entered through.

"So how are we supposed to get back up there?" Elena wondered as she analyzed the decrepit

well above us.

Suddenly a small gray cylinder dropped through and began leaking a thick gas.

"Everyone get behind something!" shouted Nate. A soupy fog erupted from it, filling the room. Heavily armed men dressed in black armor descended into the room on thick ropes and began shooting at anything that moved. We returned fire but the fog made hitting anything besides the wall difficult.  
"We don't have time for this…" I uttered under my breath.

"Stay behind something!" I shouted to my companions.

Imagining the collapsing chateau, I summoned a flame shield around myself and began walking to the middle of the room. The soldiers began firing at me, however the bullets vaporized before getting near me, just like before.

"Expand!" I commanded the shield. It exploded outwards, disintegrating every foe not hiding behind cover. The walls became scorched and the dust on the floor flew to the walls, hardening in the pattern of my flames. As the attack dissipated, I heard the rest of my party dispatching the enemies who survived.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Sully said as he emerged from behind a pillar. "Sure is handy, though," he smiled.

A small ladder suddenly emerged from the well shaft.

"Huh. I guess my attack broke the lock?" I said nonchalantly. "Let's head back."

We climbed out of the well. Just before we left the building, Elena stopped us.

"We should probably leave our guns here. I don't think the guards would appreciate three armed tourists walking around the city."

"I'll miss you," I whispered to my pistol as I tossed it into the well along with Nate and Sully's shotguns. We exited the building and made our way back through the city.

As we ascended a stone stairway, Nate winced and I glanced back to find him removing a needle from his neck. My eyes narrowed with worry as he began to fidget in place.

"Dad… is everything alright?" I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"D-don't touch me!" he demanded.

After flinching back from his sudden outburst, I carefully took the needle from Nate and revealed it to Sully and Elena.

"Sully, they got him this time…" I announced shakenly.

Sully took the dart from my hands and began examining it.

"Goddammit, how do they keep doing this without us seeing?" he scathed.

I scanned the rooftops for a sniper but was unable to spot one.

Nate studied my face as if it were completely foreign to him. I could see him struggling to fight the effects of the drug.

"Run…" he whispered, his hands burying his face.

"But Dad…" I said as I reached out once more.

"Run!" he insisted, hitting my hand away. Before I could say anything, he sprinted away.

"Aw, hell. We gotta catch him before he gets himself hurt. Come on!" insisted Sully as he began chasing Nate.

We sprinted through the city streets, buildings and shops blurring passed us. We barely managed to keep Nate within eyeshot. Suddenly, I felt a prick on the back of my neck. My legs started to feel like jelly, and the world around me began to swim. I focused on spreading my energy through my entire body and started to feel normal. Another dart stung my neck, followed by several more. Pulling them out, I analyzed them; they were a different color from that of the others. I looked up and saw a man walking around the corner of an alley.

It was Talbot.

"Nighty-night," he said with a smirk. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. The butt of a rifle smacked the back of my head and the world went dark.


	8. Trapped

I found myself tied to a chair placed in the middle of a large tent. To my right were three neatly pressed cots begging me to collapse on them. A rusty fold-out table rested on my left which was cluttered with maps and files. Guards barricaded the entrance as others hurried around outside. A light breeze carried sand from outside that caught in my lungs. I concluded I was in a base of some kind.

"Did I party too hard last night?" I dazedly joked to the guards.

One of the men poked his head inside and reached for a radio attached to his hips.

"She's awake," he alerted someone.

A few moments later, Marlowe strode into the tent. She donned a short black leather jacket pulled over brown tight pants.

"Here we are again," she sneered.

"Hey there Marlowe, I didn't know you were into this sort of thing," I smirked, gesturing to my restraints. Her harsh wrinkles disappeared behind her frown.

"You're just as annoying as your father," she snipped.

"I get that alot," I bragged.

I received a piercing glare as she headed for the table. I watched as she studied the contents spread about and lifted a picture of Nate and I which was taken during one of our adventures.

"You care for this filthy street rat, don't you?" she questioned.

"What's it to you?" I glared.

"Is he all you praise him to be?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I've heard about your adventures, Miss Drake. What kind of father brings his daughter on these dangerous escapades? So irresponsible."

"I appreciate your concern but I can take care of myself, and he knows it," I huffed.

"I'd say he's no better than John."

"Dad's _nothing_ like him," I growled.

"Really? You've been in our clutches for sometime now and he hasn't attempted a rescue. It seems he's abandoned you, just as he has everyone he's ever met," she taunted deviously.

My heart grew heavy as I considered the possibility but my conscience warned me to stay focused. Marlowe wanted something from me and she was playing dirty to get it. Nate would never abandon me.

"Enough with the mind games, what do you want?" I insisted.

"We know you and Sullivan memorized the coordinates to find Iram."

"Lady, did someone spike your tea this morning? What gave you that idea?"

"Nathan told us," she chuckled devilishly, the joy of toying with me gleaming from her eyes.

"What?" I gasped.

"He told us everything. Like I said, he's no better than John."

"Stop comparing him to that monster! You drugged him and forced him to tell you!" I snapped.

"Yes, I will admit that, but there are other things we know about him which I'm _sure_ he hasn't told you, or anyone, for that matter."

"I wasn't born yesterday; I know what you're trying to pull," I snarked.

"Then I hope you'll be willing to cooperate with us?"

"...and if I don't?"

With the snap of her fingers, a man with a sack over his head tumbled into the tent shadowed by a heavily armed guard who shoved him to the floor and removed the sack, revealing it to be Sully. The guard pressed the gun against the back of his head and waited for further command.

"Then we'll take drastic measures," she threatened.

Marlowe approached me and grabbed my chin between her thumb and index finger, forcing me to glare into her hateful eyes.

"So... do we have a deal, Lillian?" she inquired.

A familiar rage enveloped me as I spat in her face.

"Go to hell," I growled.

Marlowe flinched back as she wiped the saliva from her cheek. A furious hand struck me, leaving a numbing sting.

"Catherine, leave her alone!" Sully shouted.

"You're in no condition to give demands, Sullivan," Marlowe barked.

"I'll give you the coordinates, just… don't hurt her, okay?" Sully pleaded.

"I knew you'd see it our way," smirked Marlowe.

Marlowe had Sully and I tucked away in a simple tent filled with supplies and navigation equipment. Two guards were posted outside, although I could tell from their yawns they'd rather be anywhere but here. After giving them the coordinates, Sully and I were tied together with prickly rope, my back pressed against Sully's. My head dropped onto Sully's shoulder as I stared at the ceiling.

Static crackled from the guard's walkie-talkie and my eyes narrowed as I listened.

"Mayday, mayday! We have a situation! It's Drake; he's sinking the ship!" a man shouted on the other end. Our guard reached for his radio and listened to the rest of the panicked man's report.

Sully and I glanced at each other with worry.

"Ship?" I whispered.

"Before Marlowe had me brought to you, I overheard them mentioning Nate being 'taken care of' by a group of pirates she hired," quietly informed Sully.

"Pirates?" I gasped.

Loud popping could be heard over the radio followed by an agonizing scream.

"A message to whoever the hell this is: you messed with the wrong guy, and I'm coming for you," a familiar voice threatened. It was Nate.

"Dad…" I whispered.

An explosion went off on the other end, followed by silence.

My heart stopped momentarily, but I knew he could handle himself.

"I wish we could be there _fighting pirates_ instead of being tied up in some nasty tent." I complained.

"I doubt he needs our help. Nate can get out of any situation," Sully assured.

That was the last contact we had with the outside world since Marlowe stored us in the tent. My mind wandered aimlessly as the hours drifted into days. My body began trembling from hunger and sand choked the air. I tried to recall the last time I had decent meal or showered, but the memories seemed to evade me.

Sully and I would make conversation to pass the time, often telling each other stories of past jobs. I was thankful to have my partner with me, despite feeling slightly guilty for him being here.

It was nearing afternoon when our guard's radio crackled once again.

"We have another situation! I repeat, another situation!" the man shouted in horror. "It's Drake! He's set the plane on fire! We're going down! We're going do-" the radio shrieked.

Another explosion erupted and the signal fell to static. The second guard called for Marlowe and filled her in.

"That brat doesn't know when to quit. No matter… they're directly above the desert. We'll let the dunes deal with him," Marlowe growled.

"He'll survive anything… right, Sully?" I said, my voice quivering.

"All we can do is hope, kid," he said, his eyes panning to the ground.

From what I could tell, about three days passed. They kept us alive on meager rations of dirty water and what could only be described as grool. As we finished being fed, Marlowe burst into the tent.

"Alright you two, on your feet. We're headed into the desert."

"Aww, I was just starting to like this place. There was even a rat that visited us every now and then; I named it Jim," I teased.

"Shut it," she snapped.

"Jeez, what put her in a foul mood?" Sully joked.

The blazing sun was blinding as we were led outside and into a jeep. I could overhear Marlowe shouting outside.

"He was supposed to die in the desert; how in the blazes did he make it to that town?!"

Sully and I looked at each other, somewhat shocked.

"You don't think 'he' could be…?" questioned Sully.

"I don't think it could be anyone else," I smiled.

I felt a dim flame of joy reignite within me as the jeep's engine roared to life and carried us into the desert. 


	9. Atlantis of the Sands

As we left the camp, the road gradually became more destitute, eventually devolving into nothing more than rocks and sand. The jeep rocked back and forth while driving on the uneven terrain, jostling Sully and I around the back seat.

"I thought we were searching for a lost city, not riding a roller coaster; think you could smooth out the ride?" Sully joked to the driver.

"Shut it back there!" the man barked.

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Sully whispered to me.

The minutes turned to hours. The similarity of the landscapes made it seem like we weren't moving at all. Next to our jeep drove a truck with a hoist attached to the back, orange and rusty. To pass the time, I'd taken to counting the bolts holding the battered vehicle together.

The sudden sound of gunfire behind us snapped me from my boredom-induced daze. Peering through the tiny rear window, I saw a small group of men on horseback fighting the soldiers behind us. Through the smoke and sand I could barely make out the silhouette of Nate.

Sully had fallen asleep and was a naturally heavy sleeper, so the fighting somehow didn't wake him up. I nudged his leg with my knee, jolting him awake.

"Dammit, Lily, I was having a good dream. What'd you wake me up fo-" he began to ask before quickly noticing the fighting going on behind us.

"Holy shit, is that Nate?!"

I stared at him with a giddy smile. He returned the notion with a grin and a wink.

"Get ready."

"Oi, you two had better not be planning anything back there!" shouted the soldier in the passenger's seat.

"Oh, we wouldn't dream of it," I replied sarcastically.

Knowing help was on the way, I began heating up my wrists in order to burn off the ropes. As I felt them loosen, I freed my right hand and began burning Sully's.

"Hey, uh… you guys smell anything smokey? I think there might be something wrong with the car," Sully jested.

"I told you before, shut-!"

Before the driver could finish his sentence, I punched the back of his headrest, knocking him out. As I dove for the steering wheel to keep the jeep from careening out of control, Sully pulled the rope around the other guard's neck, strangling him until he went limp.

"Alright, I'll take control of this; you go help your father," he instructed as he shoved the bodies from the car and moved to the front seat.

"Yes sir!" I said with a playful salute and jumped from the passenger's door onto the truck beside us. I looked at the warfare taking place behind us. Nate and his allies, despite being able to take down several vehicles, were struggling to tackle Marlowe's forces. Nate, squinting through the ashes filling the air, noticed me. His eyes widened and a big, confident smile formed on his face. I waved my arm through the air motioning for them to fall back. He understood the instruction and forwarded it to his associates. They backed far enough away from the caravan to not get hit by my attack; Nate knew what I was about to do.

By now the soldiers noticed me and had begun shooting. I quickly raised a shield in front of me, vaporizing the rounds coming at me. I put my hands together, focusing on the space between them like I did while fighting the torrent of spiders, however this time I made sure to grow the fireball as large as I could hold. I shoved it into my shield, bursting it into a flood of fire, destroying every vehicle chasing us. I sighed a breath of relief as I watch the wreckage disappeared in the distance and being replaced by Nate's group.

"Hey, little girl. You look tired from that… I've never seen anything like it. You sure you don't wanna join us?"

A behemoth man had emerged from the truck and was walking menacingly toward me, his face covered in a grim smile. He outstretched his hand, which was aimed directly at my throat. I grabbed the hand and crushed it, the bones within crunching under my grasp. The man's face went from one of grisly excitement to one of pained surprise. Yanking on his arm, I pulled him down to his knees and quietly responded.

"Sorry, I've said before, the answer's no."

Placing my index finger on his forehead, I let fly a small burst of flame, which flew straight out the back of his head. His body slumped to the truck bed, lifeless.

"Lily, watch out ahead!" Sully shouted from the open window of his jeep. Looking to the front car, Talbot had emerged from the rear seat holding an RPG. Without a second thought, I jumped from the back of the truck and blasted the ground with fire in order to slow myself down. Moments later, the truck bursted into the sky, emitting smoke and flames and its several parts scattering around the rocky terrain. Sully was luckily able to slow down quickly enough to avoid the blast.

As I dusted myself off, Nate's group finally caught up to us. He and I looked at each other for a silent moment before he dismounted his horse and ran to me, enveloping me in a tight hug. Several more quiet seconds passed before he finally released me.

"Nice to finally see a familiar face!" he smiled. "Marlowe had told me they had you. I… I thought I lost you."

Sully got out of his jeep and walked over to us.

"Come on, Nate, you know us. She's a Drake and I'm 'strong as an ox!' Some old hag's not gonna take us out," he smiled as he hugged Nate, patting his back. "Good to see ya again, boy-o. Who's your friend?"

An Arabic man dressed in blue traditional garb had rode up to us, grinning.

"Hello, my name is Salim. I found Drake half-dead in the ghost town near my camp," he said in a thick middle eastern accent, shaking Sully's hand. "Ah, and this is Lillian, I assume? Your father's told me so much about you," he said, generously shaking my hand as well. "I'll try staying on your good side, I hear your fighting style is… fiery, to say the least."

"I hate to interject, but we need to get going if we're gonna catch up to them. Sully, we brought you an extra horse. Lil, you're with me. Unless you wanna ride with me, Sully," he joked.

"I think I'll pass," Sully said, smirking and gently waving his hands. "Oh, and here, Lil, I grabbed this from the jeep. I think you'll like it," he said, handing me a glock similar to the one I had back in the city.

"Sully, how'd you know?" I thanked satirically.

Nate mounted a horse with me following suit.

"You ready Lil?" he said, turning back to me.

"Hell yeah," I responded, brandishing my pistol, ready for the challenges ahead.

We dashed into the desert, leaving the carnage far behind. The deeper into the sands we travelled, the softer the ground became, with dust leaping up with every stomp the horses took. I put my scarf in front of my face to ease my breathing as the sand tried choking me. A blustering sandstorm appeared over the horizon, suddenly swallowing the sky in front of us.

"Into the sandstorm, Drake!" Salim instructed.

"Are you sure?!" he questioned loudly, as the wind was began to drown out any noise we made.

"Yes, this is the only way! We must travel to the heart of the storm to reach Ubar!"

"Alright, if you say so!"

We resumed our journey, venturing deeper into the blistering winds. The flying sand and rushing air burned my face, despite having it covered with my scarf. Dust filled my hair and attempted suffocating me with every breath. Knowing time was of the essence, I said nothing and continued a vigilant watch for any opposing forces.

We began riding passed decrepit buildings, which started to increase in number as we rode. A large, dusty wall sudden appeared in front of us from within the storm, an ominous yet welcoming sight. In the middle of the wall were a pair of towering, golden doors.

Sully, Nate and I dismounted our horses and pushed on the left door, which began to creak, with the right one following suit. As if pulled from the other side, the double doors swung the rest of the way open, revealing a grand, shimmering golden city.

"Guys, welcome to Ubar," Nate greeted as he stood with his hands on his hips and his chin held high, proud of his discovery.

Salim rode up to us, a solemn yet joyful look on his face. "Congratulations, Drake. Not many men could find a place like this, and fewer are worthy. Sadly, I cannot join you for the rest of your journey, as the guidelines of my people forbid us from descending into the city. I wish you luck for the remainder of your quest!" He shook our hands one final time and retreated into the storm, the rest of his men trailing shortly behind.

Beautiful silver statues wrapped in golden armor and wielding staffs clanked into a saluting position as if congratulating us for making it this far. Before us laid a lengthy staircase leading down to the complex map of streets connecting the buildings, which were made of dark stone with curved clay tile roofing. I could still see the sandstorm rolling just beyond the adjacent city limits. The ground directly below us was comprised of faded marble, the sand wafting between the slits between each tile, all of which were connected by an interweaving golden texture. The sun, though its light was turned tan through a filter of sand covering the city, shone brightly on the whole area.

I held back tears as I stared at the city in awe. Nate glanced back at me with a warm smile and wrapped his arm around me.

"We're finally here," he smiled quietly as he tilted his head to me, his joy seeming to stifle his words.

I meant to respond but the sprawling city was too demanding of my attention.

Patting my back, he began descending the stairs.

"We should get moving. It's not like Marlowe's gonna wait around while we take in the sights."

We continued down several flight of stairs, arriving at a sparkling fountain. Two basins bled water down into the intricate base, nearly causing it to overflow.

A powerful thirst singed my throat as I sprinted to the fountain. I cupped my hand and dipped it into the chilled water, the coolness relieving the burning sensation as I took a few sips. I noticed Nate shadowing me and drank from the fountain too.

"This must be how the city thrived out here all this time. It was fed by an underground spring," Nate concluded.

Nate walked beside me and began drinking the water as well.

"I… think I'll pass," Sully said, waving his hand as he declined the water.

Once we took a moment's rest, we approached a balcony overlooking the city. The sky suddenly grew red and an eclipse hovered above, casting a dark shadow over the city. My eyes narrowed as I tried to adjust them to the new lighting.

"I didn't know we were expecting an eclipse so soon?" I asked my partners.

I expected a quip from them but got no response.

"Guys?"

A low growl escaped from Nate's throat behind me and I twisted my head around, only to find a rotting corpse standing in his place. Its gray skin melted under the blue flames engulfing its body. The corpse reminded me of the ones we encountered back in Mexico, dressed in armor similar to John's men. My eyes widened with fear as I reached for my pistol and aimed at the creature.

"S-stay back!" I stuttered as the gun trembled in my hand. I searched for Sully but he was nowhere to be found.

I was alone.

The corpse continued to stalk towards me menacingly, showing no signs it understood my threat.

With my back pressed against a pillar, I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. A loud pop rang in my ears as an eerie silence fell.

"Lil…" Nate whispered hoarsely.

I reopened my eyes. Nate had returned to where the monster was standing, clutching his stomach. Blood seeped through his fingers as he began to fall forward.

"Dad!" I shrieked as I caught him.

I gently placed Nate on the ground.

"Dad, I'm so sorry. You… you were a zombie!" I explained, my voice shaken.

I pressed my hand on top of his; the skin was cold and clammy, sending a shiver up my arm. I raised my head and continued searching for Sully.

"Sully?! Where are you?!" I shrieked.

"Over here, kid," said Sully, appearing from behind a pillar.

"Oh God…" he gasped once he saw Nate in my arms, running to us and kneeling down.

"We have to get him out of here!" I insisted.

"Kid, look where we are, there's nothing but desert for three hundred miles. There's nothing we can do," Sully reminded me.

Realization struck me as I pressed against Nate's wound, I remembered the night in Syria when I revived him. I focused my energy in my left hand and waited for the green light to illuminate around it. A few seconds went by and nothing happened; my powers weren't working.

"Dad, I'm so sorry," I weeped.

Nate stroked my cheek as he gazed up at me. I could see the life slowly draining from his eyes as I held him.

"I'm sorry too, Lil. For everything," he whispered as his head dropped onto my shoulder.

"Dad? Dad!" I called as I shook Nate. But I got no response.

"Don't leave me, I just got you back!" I pleaded.

He gently smiled as his face dissolved into sand, his eyes sinking into the ever-growing pile of dust where my father once laid.

I lifted my head to meet Sully's horrified gaze. He too was dissolving away, his sullen stone face falling towards me as his body broke into a beige powder.

My chest hardened as I struggled to breathe. I bent over, clutching my stomach as I tried to control the sadness. Hot tears dripped from my eyes as I quietly wept. My family was gone.

I cried for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the torrent of emotion subsided, leaving an empty feeling behind. I sat up and tried to compose myself as I gathered my surroundings. My eyes narrowed as I spotted Marlowe and Talbot approaching me, smirking. Everything seemed eerily familiar to when I was drugged in Syria.

"What a pity," Marlowe sighed.

"This is what happens when you choose the wrong side," Talbot reminded me as he shook his head disapprovingly, grinning through clamped teeth. I gritted my jaw as I leapt to my feet and sprinted towards them. Talbot twirled on his heel ran down a flight of stairs. I chased Talbot through the maze-like city streets, my heart brimming with anger as I pursued my prey. Creatures like the ones in Mexico cluttered the barren passageways of the main square, their skin rotting under the blue flame enveloping them.

"Lily… Lily…" they muttered as I rushed past them, taunting me.

"Get out of my head!" I shouted.

I ignored them by focusing on Talbot. He glanced at me and his face contorted into fear.

"Give my father back, asshole!" I demanded.

My heart flooded with rage as I launched myself at Talbot and tackled him to the ground. When Talbot twisted on his back to face me, John's visage was smiling at me instead. I flinched back in horror as he stood up, towering over me. I creeped back as he approached, his grin growing ever more malicious. My heel caught a rock, tripping me backwards.

"What's wrong, Lily? I thought you wanted your father back?" John chuckled humorlessly.

"You're not my father," I snapped defensively.

"How could you say that to me, Lily? Think of all we could accomplish!" he encouraged.

My back slammed into the wall as I crawled away. I trembled as he drew closer.

"Leave me alone!" I shrieked.

John hovered over me, blocking out the sun.

"Dad… where are you?!" I called, shoving my face into my hands.

"I'm right here," John whispered menacingly with his face inches from mine.

"Nate, Nate…" I mumbled as I hugged my legs and buried my face in them.

I prepared to meet my end as John closed in on me but instead, I was met by a warm embrace.

"It's me, Lil. I'm here," a soft, familiar voice assured as he held me.

"Dad...?" my voice quivered. I opened my eyes to find Nate's bruised face contoured with concern. I stared at him blankly, the grotesque image of him fading into nothingness still haunting my mind.

"Are you… real?" I asked as I poked his cheek.

"Yes, it's me. I'm here," he nodded.

"Dad!" I cried as I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly.

"I watched you die and I couldn't save you. My powers didn't work… it felt so real, I thought I lost you…" I sobbed as we continued to hold each other. Behind him, Sully stood back and smoked a cigar as he observed our reunion.

"It's okay Lil, it's all over now," Nate soothed.

My eyes panned to Sully who gave me a welcoming nod.

"Are you okay, gramps?" I asked as Nate continued to hug me.

"Healthy as a horse. How about you?"

"Better," I nodded as I patted Nate's back.

"What happened to us, Dad?" I asked once we released our embrace.

"It was the water. Somehow it got contaminated with the same toxin Marlowe's been using on us, except whatever's in there is a hell of a lot stronger than anything she's got," explained Nate.

"How did it get there?"

"Salim… kind of explained it. Apparently the city had a bit of a problem with evil spirits called the Djinn. King Solomon had them locked in a vessel of brass sent into the water, contaminating it," Nate explained.

"The citizens must've drank it afterwards and drove themselves mad," Sully concluded.

Nate sat there deep in thought.

"It's not treasure they're after, it's power! Cutter said they control their enemies through fear, and I bet this would have no problem accomplishing that," Nate gasped. "Once Drake realized the demons are what caused the hallucinations, he lied to the Queen so she wouldn't get it. I imagined I was fighting the Djinn… we're lucky I didn't cause any real damage, but think if they refined it to control people!" Nate explained.

"... and that's what Marlowe's after," Sully grunted as he puffed his cigar. "I'd assume they'd put it in the water supply of every major city and the whole world would go to hell."

"We can't let that stuff leave here," I insisted.

"You're absolutely right. Let's go down there and finish this thing once and for all," said Sully with a hardened expression.

Nate pulled me to my feet and we hurried into the city. As my head cleared, I noticed more of my surroundings. We found ourselves in a gargantuan cavern being held up by both natural and manmade supports. The rock ceiling was dotted by holes beyond which you could see the upper part of the city. Sun rays peeked through the cracks, giving us natural light that shimmered on the gold lining the buildings of the cistern. They were of a similar make to the others, however they were comprised of a darker material and the carvings were slightly more ominous, featuring battles and unsettling faces.

"The whole city's resting on this cavern. Doesn't look too safe, does it?" Nate noted as we crossed a bridge over a ravine glistening with water. The rushing sound of waterfalls echoed off the walls of the cave, making it louder than I would have expected. We continued up some ledges formed in the rocks and stopped in front of a huge downward-closing door sided by two levers. Close to the door was a large metal box sided by several hinged handles; it was obviously left there by Marlowe's men. Nate walked to it and, after unlatching the locks, swung the top open. Within was a pair of bright yellow oxygen tanks sided by a waterproof P11 loaded with five small explosive rounds.

"... scuba gear?" Nate said curiously.

"This is some high quality stuff," commented Sully. "I'm keepin' this," he said as he holstered the gun.

"Those tanks are blinding. I guess they were trying to be fashionable while diving… wherever," I joked.

"Yeah, I guess," Nate chuckled. "Although this case means they're already here, and probably close by. Lily, I want you to be ready to fire at whatever moves behind that door. Get ready for when Sully and I push these levers," he instructed.

"You got it," I agreed, taking stance a few feet from the door. I placed my hands together and began generating a fireball. Sully and Nate walked to the levers and pushed them down, causing the door to spring toward the ceiling. Immediately behind the door were some guards taking a smoke break. Their heads shot toward us, stunned. With a smirk, I shot the fireball through the door, obliterating everything inside. As the gate began clicking closed, we hurried through, stepping over the charred bodies and dodging leftover fires. The corridor walls were painted blue with waves of sapphire. Sitting in the middle of the hall were small watermills set up a few hundred feet apart from each other. I could now see three guards rushing toward us, their guns drawn.

We took cover behind the small walls protecting the watermills as the firefight broke out. Deciding I needed to save some strength for later, I drew my pistol and prepared to shoot. In sync with Nate and Sully, we partially left cover and took aim. Focusing on my target's head, I softly exhaled and pulled the trigger, blasting him to his back. With the other two troops being taken down, we rushed toward the end of the tunnel where I could see a bright cove filled with water. Surrounding the water were two pathways lined with several large stone barriers covered in intricate art conveying scenes of sacrificial rituals.

Adjacent to the tunnel I noticed Marlowe and Talbot surrounded by a small outfit of guards. A crane, sat on the edge of the walkway, had its rope dipped into the water and had pulled up a brass jug covered in brine. The sight of those two reminded me of all the pain they'd caused me and my family.

I wanted revenge. I _needed_ revenge.

I dashed toward our adversaries, my surroundings blurring passed. Focusing my rage into my finger, I blasted the jar into smithereens. An inky black substance seeped into the water, slowly spreading through its depths.

"You!" shouted Marlowe. "You've ruined everything! Kill her!" she ordered, pointing straight at me. The infantry began storming the bridges, their rifles aimed toward me. I spawned some flame shields, which my partners used as cover. I took a few steps back, then sprinted toward the water. I leapt over it, clearing the entirety of the gap and landing directly in front of Marlowe.

Her face contained a mixture of terror and fury.

"Street rat," she seethed.

I slowly walked up to her and stared into her baggy, hateful eyes.

"Shut it," I said as I shoved her several feet into the wall behind them.

Before I could continue attacking, Talbot shot his hand in front of me. With a cold smile, he pointed toward my comrades.

"You might wanna watch out for your friends."

I glanced back and found Nate and Sully nearly overrun with guards.

"They've fought wors-" I began saying, but when I turned back, Talbot had disappeared. Glancing around, he had appeared behind my companions and kicked Nate into the water before punching Sully in the gut and knocking him in as well.

I dove into the water, bullets bubbling passed me as they penetrated the water. As I reached them, I tossed them onto dry land where they were surrounded by guards. Just after sending them out, I felt a blistering pain strike me right between my ribs. I looked down and saw blood and flames leaking from my chest.

I'd been shot.

I struggled to keep my mind straight, but the world around me began fading away. My body refused to respond while I drifted into the depths. The liquid from the jug crawled toward me. I tried swimming away, but I still couldn't move. It enveloped me, sending me into pitch black abyss lit only by the sparks of fire spurting from my heart where I saw the matter entering the wound as my eyes drifted closed.

"Lily…" I heard a deep voice whisper.

"LILY…" it said, much louder this time.

I opened my eyes. I was back in Chicoasén in the camp just outside the cave containing the artifact we had been searching for. I had been lying on a mossy log on the edge of a shimmering creek. I sat up and scratched my head.

"How did I get here?" I wondered aloud.

"You're weak," the voice said. I looked to my left and found John looking down upon me judgingly. "You got shot because you were weak. There's still a chance for you to show them your power… to show them _our_ power."

"I'm _nothing_ like you," I spat, standing up to face him.

"Is that so? Think, Lillian, about all the people you've killed. How many lives have you taken in your travels?"

"I was doing it to defend my family!" I snapped defensively.

"Is that why you smiled while attacking Marlowe?" he asked deviously. "Don't lie to yourself; you love this. The action, the adventure… the _killing._"

His eyes grew red as his grin expanded across his face. My fear grew within as the sky turned a crimson red, the sun being replaced by a blood moon. John's stature began growing as he morphed into a shadowy creature, fire leaking from his sharp, toothy sneer.

"... you're right, I do enjoy it," I said shallowly, my chin lowered.

"Then follow your bloodline and continue my legacy! The world can be yours!" he shouted in a deep, menacing tone.

"You didn't let me finish. I enjoy it because I'm keeping the world safe from people like _you_," I said, proudly lifting my head toward the beast.

Confusion covered his darkened face as he stepped back.

"You've been a thorn in my side for far too long, _father._"

I raised my right hand and erupted a torrent of obsidian flames, annihilating the monster who once stood before me. The world returned to a peaceful summer day, the sun once again shining through the forest. Suddenly, a giant wave appeared from the stream, knocking me unconscious. A blazing light emerged from the listless darkness, enveloping me in a warm energy. I felt strength surge through my body.

Opening my eyes, I found myself laying at the bottom of the well, the brightly lit area seemingly miles above me. Standing up, I found the water was being forced away from me. I jumped toward the surface, creating a cyclone below me as I shot from the depths. Emerging from the expanse, I hovered just above the water. Glancing down, I saw my reflection in the gently rippling waves. My hair was slightly floating, and white flames were emitting from my eyes and flowing down around me.

In the blink of an eye I flew around the arena, blasting the soldiers into the water.

"Lily…" Nate whispered.

Sully had dropped the gun he acquired earlier when he got flung from the lake. Nate picked it up and shot its five explosives toward Marlowe, striking the support pillar behind them. Cracks formed around the structure before it crumbled in on itself. Moments later the city began rumbling and boulders started raining from the ceiling.

"Lily, the city's collapsing, we've gotta get outta here!" shouted Nate.

I hovered silently.

"Lillian, goddammit, listen to your father, we've gotta leave now!" commanded Sully.

I turned my head toward them slightly.

"Dad, they hurt you… they have to pay."

"No, they don't. Your safety is more important, now let's go!"

Turning my gaze back in front of me, our foes had already escaped. I felt my gut tighten slightly as I returned to my companions.

Several squads of guards appeared before us as we retreated through the hall. With a wave of my arm, a radiant wall of fire scorched every inch of the area before us, clearing the way forward.

We entered a room leading to a spiral staircase. Talbot and Marlowe entered through a doorway on the left side of the room.

"You!" scowled Marlowe. As Talbot began reaching for a gun, the floor buckled below us, sending everyone besides Sully to the chamber below. Nate and Marlowe landed in a pit of quicksand, with Talbot and I dropping on either side of it. After quickly pulling Nate from the sand, I hopped up to the platform to aid Sully in helping Nate up.

"Nathan," said Marlowe weakly. He continued climbing.

"Drake!" Nate stopped and looked down at the slowly sinking woman. "Are you worthy of the name?" she asked as she quickly removed Nate's necklace and held it up to us.

"Earn this, as Francis earned it from Elizabeth. Prove your greatness!"

"Nate, this place is gonna collapse any minute, we gotta get outta here!" Sully called out, stretching his hand closer to us.

"You can't just let her die!" exclaimed Talbot, extending a hand to his partner.

"The hell he can't, now give me your goddamn hand!"

Nate hesitated for a moment before leaping back down. He removed his ammo belt and tossed it to Marlowe.

"Here, grab it!" he instructed as she feebly grasped the makeshift rope. He heaved with all his might, but she didn't move an inch. As I watched them struggle, memories came of her malevolent actions came flooding back, fueling my hatred towards her.

Extending my right index finger, I shot the middle of the belt, snapping it in two. The sand quickly engulfed Marlowe, dragging her in as it stifled the sound of her futile efforts at escape. The ring slowly slid into the hole where Marlowe was consumed until it too disappeared in the quagmire.

Nate's head shot toward me, his eyes glistening with shock and disappointment.

"Lily…" he uttered in disbelief before turning back toward Sully and climbing to safety.

Talbot, still on his knees from trying to rescue Marlowe, stared at the sand in dismay.

"No!" he shouted, raising his fists above his head!

"It's not enough," I said in a low, seething tone. Lifting my hand toward the crater, I unleashed a flood of black and white flames, crystalizing the sand and exposing Marlowe's body suspended just below the surface, still clutching for deliverance from her tomb. My eyes moved to Talbot, who sprung to his feet and evacuated through the door behind him, a look of terror contorting his face. Before I could begin my pursuit, Nate had climbed up and stopped me.

"Let's go," he said sternly.

We scrambled up the stairs and back into the upper city. The towers in the distance were crumbling as they sank into the sand. The force keeping the storm outside the city had collapsed, allowing it to decay the air. Every platform we leapt across had begun sliding into the sinkhole that had formed beneath us. Swelling waves of sand surged through every building, consuming everything in their path.

"Three goddamn bullets?! How the hell did you do this with three bullets?!" shouted Sully as we fled to safety.

Just as we finally made it to somewhat stable ground, Talbot appeared and tackled Nate to the platform below. A squadron of the few remaining soldiers began fighting Sully.

"I've had enough of you!" I shouted, charging at the guards. I delivered a decisive blow to each as I darted between them, their bones shattering beneath my fists.

"You alright, gramps?" I asked, helping Sully to his feet.

"You sure this is the time for jokes?" he retorted, grinning.

We hopped down to where Nate was defending himself against a knife-wielding Talbot. Sully drew his pistol and shot Talbot's shoulder just before he took another swing. Nate dashed over to rejoin us. Talbot, clutching his shoulder, dropped the knife and sighed.

"I was hoping I didn't to have to use this," he said, producing a large syringe from his vest pocket filled with a glowing blue liquid.

I felt an inexplicable link to the matter held within.

"Is that…?" I said, motioning to the object clutched in his hand.

"Sap from the Tree of Life," he answered. "Your father's notes, as well as Nate's achievements, led us straight to Shambala. There wasn't much left, but it's enough."

The sides of his mouth curled deviously as he plunged the needle into the crook of his elbow, squeezing the plunger and forcing the turquoise liquid into his arm.

Grabbing the injection point, he dropped to one knee, groaning.

"If I'm not leaving here, you sure as hell aren't," he seethed.

Blue flames erupted from around his body, scorching the ground below him.

"Dad, Sully… you guys had better get outta here. I think this might be a little out of your league," I suggested, bracing myself for a fight.

"You sure?" Nate asked.

I stood there silently watching Talbot, ready for his next move.

"I guess you're right. Sully, let's go."

"I'm gonna need therapy after this," Sully said, shuffling to his feet and joining Nate.

As they began running, Talbot raised his arm and shot a wave of fire at them. Anticipating his attack, I bolted in front of them and blocked it with my hand.

"Not on my watch, rookie."

His face crumpling into a scowl, he rushed at me, his fist raised. I skillfully dodged the attack and buried my fist into his gut, releasing a torrent of flame from my hand and sending him skyward. Releasing a burst of flame above him, Talbot stopped his upward ascent and launched him back down at me. Extending a hand downwards, he discharged a giant ball of blue fire large enough to consume the platform I was standing on. I raise my arms, bracing myself for the impact.

Unexpectedly, the flames felt cool as they consumed me. The impact, however, knocked me off my feet as it sent the platform plummeting toward the center of the city. As I shakily stood up, he landed mere feet from me.

Talbot's veins had begun pulsing blue and his skin looked as if it were beginning to rot. His face had become rancid, with blackened teeth, bloodshot eyes, and matted, thin hair.

Panting, he started walking toward me.

"I'm surprised you're still standing after that," he said in a proud yet curious manner.

"Those were some pretty refreshing flames, I actually quite liked it, but guess what, Talby? We've both got the power of the Cintamani Stone, which means your flames can't hurt me. However…"

I began hovering and black and white flames surrounded my body.

"… not only have my flames evolved, I also contain the power of the Djinn!"

Plunging toward him, I grasped his neck and carried him into the sky.

"Let me go!" he pleated, beating my arm with his blazing fists.

"You deserve this," I responded in a low, spiteful tone.

I raised him above me, his silhouette blocking the sun. As my grip tightened, his face faded from rage to terror, his struggling all the while growing weaker. Sending flames through my arm, I meteored him toward the ground, leaving a small streak of fire behind him. As he flew toward the earth, I burst a mighty surge of spiraling black, blue, and white flames toward him, drilling him deep into the sand. As the dust blew into the wind, it carried with it any indication he had ever been there.

I flew toward the exit the rest of my party had left through, leaving behind the treasure we had long sought after. Glancing back, I saw the last of the city plunging to its doom. In the distance, I could see several men on horseback perched atop a dune.

"Dad!" I uttered to myself, smiling. I darted toward them, excited to finally reunite with my family.

Sully and Nate had been rescued by Salim and his men who had been stationed just outside the city.

"Lily, thank God you're safe!" Nate exclaimed as he dismounted his horse and ran to me for a hug. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I told you before, I'm a Drake! We're experts at taking down pretty boys and destroying ancient cities," I winked.

"I still don't understand how you survived that; look, you got shot!" said Sully from atop his steed, pointing at the bullet hole in my shirt. My skin underneath had completely healed, leaving no trace of damage.

"When I was floating in the water, the black ooze from that brass container seeped into the gunshot… I think it was able to synergize with the powers I got in Nepal. Pretty anime, huh?"

"Anime?" responded Nate, confused.

"Japanese cartoons, Dad. I'll show you sometime."

"Deal. Now let's get outta here," he said, motioning to a riderless horse Salim had brought along.


	10. A Treasure Lost, A Treasure Found

We watched the city walls sink into the sand, thankful we weren't dragged along with it. As our horses began trotting through the sand, Nate glanced to me, his face now stern.

"... we could've saved Marlowe, you know."

"Tell me you're not serious. She tortured me, held me captive for days, and she nearly got all of us killed on numerous occasions, now you're wondering why I didn't _save_ her?!"

"It would've been the right thing to do; she was helpless and it could've changed her… I thought I taught you better," Nate scolded.

I didn't understand why Nate was defending someone who caused us nothing but trouble.

"What about Talbot? Was I supposed to save him after he drugged me and tried to kill you?!" I huffed.

"Lily, I don't want that power of yours to go to your head."

"If you think I'm becoming like John, drop it. I'm not a power-mad psychopath like him," I snapped. "My goal was to survive, Dad. If I hadn't snapped that belt, we'd be buried in the city with her."

Nate's eyes panned to the ground, his pained face tying a knot in my stomach.

Our eyes met as silence fell between us. You can hear Sully rambling to our guide up ahead, broken up by our horses' stomping on the sand.

"You can talk to me when you're ready, okay?" I assured, finalizing the conversation. I tugged on the reigns to push my horse forward, leaving Nate alone with his thoughts. My horse paced a few feet away so no one disturbed me. Nate's interrogation lingered as I stared dazedly at the clouds. I began to wonder if he had begun fearing my powers.

Nearly a day had passed before we finally arrived back at the city. Salim approached Nate with a warm smile.

"Safe travels my friend. You and your family are always welcome," said Salim.

"Thanks, Salim. For everything," said Nate as they shook hands. Salim faced me as Nate finished loading cargo.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Lillian, though I wish it were on better circumstances. I wish you well," he nodded.

"The pleasure's all mine. I can't thank you enough for helping us," I said, outstretching my hand to shake his.

After saying our goodbyes, we left to meet Elena. No one spoke much as we strode through the city, aside from Sully filling our ears with a few old-timer stories.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Nate, scratching his head as he walked parallel to me.

"Sure," I nodded.

Nate took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier." he sighed. "While I still don't agree with it, I understand why you didn't save her, and I forgive you."

"Thanks, Dad, I appreciate it. I shouldn't have snapped at you either," I said, patting his arm gently.

A quick smile flickered across his face.

"That… wasn't the only thing. I've got a lot on my mind. See, I don't know how to raise a family. When Elena approached me about it, I got scared and left, bringing you with me. I've been a terrible father; the closest thing I ever had to one was Sully, and although he was an excellent mentor, I could never call him dad," Nate explained with sadness wandering across his eyes. My heart grew heavy as he spoke.

"Trust me, I'm scared too. I didn't know what it's like to belong in a family, but you and Elena showed me that it takes hard work."

Nate dropped his head, his eyes darting across the ground. I lightly slapped his arm, regaining his attention.

"Listen to me, you are _not_ a terrible father. You gave me a second chance and stood by me when I was at my worst. If you consider that terrible, then I can't wait to see how you'll be when you consider yourself _good_," I smiled.

Nate put his arm around me, pulling me in for a warm embrace.

"I love you, Lil," he whispered in my ear.

My body tensed for a moment as he said those words. Warm tears stung my eyes as I pulled him closer.

"I love you too, Dad," I sighed happily.

"Let's go home with Elena this time," I suggested.

"Yeah," Nate nodded.

We met Elena at the city's front gate. Our luggage sat in the rental truck, ready for us to pack it into the plane.

"Glad you guys made it out alright," radiantly smiled Elena as she pulled the three of us in for a group hug. "It's a shame you're leaving empty-handed."

"Oh are we?" smirked Sully, pulling a handful of gold coins from his back pocket.

Our eyes widened at the sight of them.

"Of all the nice things we saw in that city, you only managed to grab a few coins?!"  
I teased.

"It's better than nothing. It'll help pay a few bills back home," Sully shrugged.

"Along with a few cigar packs?"

"Hey, don't encourage him! We want him to stop, remember?" Nate reminded me.

"I'd like to see ya try!" he huffed.

"How're you feeling, Lily? Your clothes look a little roughed up," asked Elena.

"I'm not hurt, but I'm tired and a little hungry," I responded.

"Nice to meet ya, tired and a little hungry, I'm Dad!" Nate said as a cheesy grin spread across his face. The rest of us scowled at him, disapproving of the awful joke.

"Did you teach him that?" I asked Sully.

"Are you kidding? I'd never tell that horrible joke on my best day," Sully interjected.

"Hey, I got that out of a joke book, give me some credit," Nate pouted.

"You bought a joke book?" I asked, placing on my hands on his hips.

"How else could I get so funny?" said Nate nonchalantly.

The three of us shared a healthy laugh, something none of us have done in a long time.

"Hey Lil, mind helping me load the plane?" asked Sully.

"Sure thing, gramps," I nodded and grabbed the bags by our feet.

"So when do you plan on using my name?" Sully grunted.

"Not soon," I cheekily grinned.

I glanced back at my family as I followed Sully.

"I'm sorry about your ring," said Elena, patting the spot it once laid.

"That's okay. I traded it for something better," Nate smiled, flashing his wedding ring.

Elena beamed and pulled him in for a hug. My tension released as if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

"Hey kid, over here," Sully gestured towards a docking station.

"What's up, gramps?" I grinned, placing the bags beside me.

Sully closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He refrained from scolding me and continued.

"Nate told you about the plane I used to have, right? The one that got ruined in Panama?"

"Feast your eyes," he smiled, waving his hand in a wide gesture as we rounded the corner of the building. A blue and white biplane was parked proudly in the corner. The paint was a bit worn down, but I thought it gave it character.

By his reaction, it seems Nate never appreciated Sully's choice of transportation. If only I was around back then to balance them out.

"Go get your Dad and Elena, they're gonna love this. I got the bags,"

"Hey love birds, Sully's got a surprise for you," I called to them.

"What's he up to now?" asked Nate.

"You'll see," I smiled.

Arriving back at the plane, Sully was leaning by the door, smiling.

"No way!" exclaimed Nate.

"We knew you'd love it," I smirked.

Nate ran over to the plane and began inspecting it.

"It's not as nice as the one you guys wrecked four years ago, but it'll do," Sully said, patting the door.

"Wait, this has parachutes, right?" Elena asked.

"Oh yeah."

"Four?" chimed Nate.

"Eh… more or less."

We climbed the stairs into the cramped plane quarters. Thankfully the benches were thickly padded and wrapped in fresh, smooth leather. I sat adjacent from a cuddling Nate and Elena. Leaning my head against the headrest attached to the wall, I closed my eyes for some well-deserved rest.


End file.
